Revealing A Kitsune
by Kanemoshi
Summary: When Kiba learns the disturbing truth about Naruto, he finally gets to know the lonely teen behind that impossibly happy mask, and when he tries to save Naruto from himself, what was once rivalry becomes much more than friendship. KibaNaruto Warning: Yaoi
1. Prologue

Authoress: yosh! I'm here with a new fanfic (all my devoted readers should squeal in joy with me!) EEEEE!…so, anyways…this will be a new pairing for me to write about…but (as a few may already know) I'm doing a term paper on the kitsune (I love my English class!) and I found a little interesting bit on dogs while researching…so…I got the idea in my head to put Kiba and Naruto together…so…here we go!

Disclaimer:…do I have to say it…it makes me so depressed to admit I don't own Naruto…

**Prologue:**

It's said in Japanese mythology that foxes are creatures with supernatural powers and they use these powers for either good or evil. One of the most well known abilities of the kitsune is the legend concerning their tails. It is said when a fox becomes a century old, they grow a tail and, for every hundred years after that, the kitsune will sprout an additional tail. When they become one thousand years old, they are said to gain the abilities of infinite sight and such power, they are considered to be near immortal. These fabled creatures are known as the _Kyuubi no Kitsune._ Though, the most popular stories of kitsune revolve around their other ability, which is shared with the tanuki and tengu-henge. Most stories of these shift-shapers say that they take the form of young, beautiful women who seduce unworthy men and reward deserving people.

There are very few ways to discover a kitsune's true identity when they have changed their form. One could look at their reflection in a mirror or water, which would reveal their tails. The other way, is to have the kitsune spotted by a canine, at which point, they will return to their true form.

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Naruto looked up from the scroll with a snort. _Canine? Who thought up of that one?_ he asked himself as he slowly started closing it again. He was careful not to crease the yellowing parchment anymore than it already was. Knowing Iruka, he had memorized exactly how many marks were on this scroll and would notice even the tiniest change in the paper. Naruto sighed as finally finished rolling the object back up. Not a single crease, stain, or rip to be seen. His old sensei would be proud…if it hadn't been for the fact Iruka didn't know Naruto had _borrowed_ one of his oldest scrolls, then snuck out of his apartment with it with full intention to _read_ the composition. As much as Naruto loved the brunette, he knew not even the fact he had _voluntarily read_ would save him from Iruka's wrath.

With anyone else, it would have just been more logical to ask to borrow the scroll instead of sneaking around like the little bandit he was. But this was Naruto-the container to the same Kyuubi no Kitsune the scroll talked so apprehensively. It was the same creature that had attacked his village and killed so many without a second thought.

With anyone _other_ than Naruto, no questions would be asked when he requested information on kitsune. In Naruto's case, there probably would have been an alarm or something that would go off, telling everyone exactly what he was doing, and villagers would automatically assume he was trying to do some kind evil research. If anyone knew he wanted to know more about the demon inside him, they probably would hate him even more. Naruto knew that even Iruka, for all his compassion, would want to know exactly _why_ Naruto needed the information. Closing his eyes, Naruto could imagine the slight fear in the brunette's honest eyes. It was Iruka's one fault-he could stop himself from _making_ any expression to indicate his mood, but all you had to do is look into those brown orbs in order to tell exactly what was on the chuunin's mind. It was something Naruto loved about Iruka-being always able to tell that Iruka _wanted _to be around him…that he saw Naruto for who he really was and still acknowledged him-but at this moment, that same quality made Naruto's heart ache.

No, there would be no telling Iruka-or anyone else, even if he had that much trust in another person _besides_ the Umino-about this. He would quickly sneak into Iruka's house during the day when Iruka would be tending to his academy classes, put the scroll back in its rightful place, and slip back out. No one had to know. Naruto would keep it a secret locked up deep in his heart.

Just like so many other things…

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Kiba itched his nose as he leaned back against the tree supporting him. His leg was no longer throbbing in pain, but he could hardly stand up on his own. He sniffed the air, hesitantly turning his head to smell the air on either side of him. No one was within smelling distance, which meant that, for the moment, he was safe. He braced his arms against the gnarled wood as he lowered himself to the ground, sighing softly in relief to take the weight off his left leg.

It had been a mistake on his part to train with Hinata when she was _obviously_ not in a good mood. Kiba hadn't even bothered to ask why she was in such a rare mood. If she had been an Inuzuka, she would have been snarling, bearing her canines at Kiba when he had accidentally hit into her a few hours ago. He had a sister-he knew that it would have done no good to try talking to her right now. So, he had suggested they walk. Hinata had actually the one to make the first move and activate her Byakugan.

At the time, Kiba had been so surprised, he hadn't been able to block when she performed a Jyuuken on him-hitting one of the major tenketsu in his leg. It left him almost paralyzed in pain, but it had been dulling for the past half hour. In just half an hour, Hinata had been letting off enough steam to knock poor Akamaru into unconsciousness and leave Kiba all but defenseless. If it hadn't been for his quick reflexes and sense of smell, Kiba knew he would have been undoubtedly joining his puppy in that state very soon. He took a deep breath, knowing that as soon as Hinata came within smelling distance, he would immediately know and be able to prepare himself before she even came within his sight. Because of that, Kiba sat comfortably-or as comfortable as he could get in his situation-as he played out the entire day.

That morning, he had a mission with his teammates and nothing of interest happened, so they returned to the village in the middle of the afternoon. He had left his friends and their sensei to go take a nap back at his house. Somehow, in those few hours he wasn't around the Hyuuga, something had happened to Hinata that left her more pissed off than Kiba had ever seen someone. Even his older sister (for all her bitchy moments) never had taken to attacking a friend when in one of her moods.

Kiba closed his eyes, his hands absently trying to rub some feeling back into his numb leg. This was his first time being hit with one of the Hyuuga family's abilities and he was _very_ glad they were loyal to Konoha. He never wanted to experience something like this pain again. The smallest of smirks came to his face as he remembered the chuunin exams. Hinata had been so quiet then, but still very powerful. It was too bad her creepy, fate-loving cousin beat her down so badly. He would never forgive Neji for being such a prick.

Thinking about the long-haired Hyuuga made Kiba remember that Hinata had gone easy on him. Neji had gone all out and nearly killed the blonde loudmouth. _But…Naruto was still able to fight…and beat Neji's ultimate defense…_Kiba thought to himself, a twinge of jealousy coursing through him. Not only was the blonde an idiot with an amazing amount of stamina, but he was damn lucky. He had been able to defeat Kiba…and the Hyuuga genius.

"Kiba-kun!" The Inuzuka jumped when he heard Hinata's voice, amazed that he hadn't smelled her. He bit back a chuckle when he saw the girl walking up to him, Akamaru draped across her arms. His nose had been tricked him, only picking up his dog's scent and, since it was so familiar, it didn't even register in Kiba's mind as something unusual. The boy watched his teammate warily, wondering if Hinata would attack him again. There would be no time to get up and defend himself properly if that was the case.

"I hope you're not going to attack me again, Hinata-chan…" Kiba called out as the girl came even closer, Akamaru still remaining motionless in her arms. The girl's face took on a surprised look, her pale eyes traveling over Kiba's body. He smirked, smelling that she was definitely confused over something. Blind rage usually had that effect on people.

"Gomen nasai, Kiba-kun! I-I didn't mean to hurt you or Akamaru!" Hinata quickly apologized, running the last few feet to reach Kiba and gently laid his puppy down as she knelt at his side. Her gaze moved down Kiba's face, his chest, arms, and torso, checking for any serious injury. There were a few cuts, but nothing serious enough that Hinata needed to worry. She then glanced down at Kiba's one leg, noticing how he was rubbing it vigorously. Activating her Byakugan, Hinata gasped and quickly began feeding chakra into the boy's leg in order to repair his tenketsu. "Gomen, Kiba-kun…I didn't mean to-"

"Calm down, Hinata-chan…I'm just happy you're on our side…" Kiba said jokingly, removing his hands from his leg once feeling started to return thanks to Hinata. The girl blushed profusely, keeping her head bowed so she wouldn't have to look at her teammate. "…care to tell me _why_ you were trying to kill us?"

"I-I wasn't…" Hinata turned her head to the side, wishing that Kiba wouldn't have asked her such a question. She took a deep breath, summoning up enough courage to look into the Inuzuka's eyes. "…I-I got into a fight…with my father…gomen…I didn't mean to-"

"Don't keep apologizing, Hinata-chan…" Kiba had met Hinata's father on more than one occasion and, simply said, he had no love towards the man. He had forced Hinata into the life of a shinobi, making his eldest daughter go against her own compassionate ways, then had the gall to act as though it was _Hinata's_ fault she wasn't the Hyuuga genius, instead of Neji. If he had been Hinata, Kiba would have knocked some sense into the man long ago-or at least _tried _to. But, to have Hinata admit she fought with him? And, from the way she put it, it sounded like a verbal dispute. That was so unlike Hinata, Kiba caught himself staring at the girl in amazement. "What happened?" was all Kiba could ask as Hinata sat back on her heels, returning to her old nervous habit of pushing her fingers together.

"…he was trying…to arrange a marriage…and I refused…" Hinata said softly, a proud smile coming to her face at the end of her statement. Kiba looked at Hinata, wondering why on Earth her father would be arranging a marriage. Hinata was only thirteen! For a moment, Kiba was glad his clan never got into those odd politics that wanted their heirs married at young age and all that other bull crap. His mother had told him, and his sister, that when they find the right person for them, as long as they brought them home to meet the family, their clan wouldn't care if they got married or not. Hell, his mother didn't even mind if her children had children with multiple partners! She just wanted her two children to be happy, no matter what path they had to take to receive it.

"…go Hinata-chan!" Kiba cheered, hugging the girl as he said so. For Hinata to go against her father so brashly, it meant certain repercussions later, but it was worth it to prove that Hinata was a person who wasn't going to be pushed over as easily as before. Kiba was glad his teammate finally started standing up for herself. "So, what'd you tell that old bastard?" He wanted to go run to Shino's and recount their teammate's victory as soon as possible.

"…that…I…I'm in a relationship…with someone…else…" Kiba was stunned into silence. His eyes shifted from Hinata's nervously moving hands to the small smile on her face. He could even smell she was being completely serious, which made the Inuzuka feel a brotherly surge of protectiveness for his tiny friend. If this bastard, whoever he was, seduced his Hinata, there would be no punishment great enough. Then again, if Hinata truly loved whoever this mystery guy was, then Kiba was all for just taking the man aside and _chatting_ about how Hinata was like a sister to him…and that his family was known to take the law into their own hands…this guy could ask any of the castrated members of Konoha's society. He would also add, as if it was an afterthought, that no one in his family had ever seen the inside of a cell yet.

"…who?" Kiba was almost too afraid to ask. It certainly wasn't himself or Shino-their bug-loving friend would never have been able to keep something like _this_ from Kiba…he would have smelled it. That only left a few males in Kiba's mind. Shikamaru and Choji were already…involved with one another, Lee…was, well…_Lee_, Neji was Hinata's cousin…and he had serious _friendship_ issues, which erased the chance he was in a serious relationship. That left only one loudmouth, blonde, stupid shinobi who Kiba was already planning to have his aforementioned _chat_ with when Hinata chuckled nervously.

"…we…wanted to keep it a secret…" she whispered softly, which got Kiba to inwardly growl. That blonde wouldn't be able to ever sit down again if Kiba had his way. No one would keep something like _this_ a secret unless they were unsure about the relationship in the first place…and if _he_ was unsure…Kiba would make him sure as hell 'sure' that he wanted to be with his friend-or else he'd eradicate the annoying blonde.

Kiba nearly smacked his head when he remembered all the times Hinata had stammered when even in Naruto's presence. She could hardly speak to the guy-no wonder, he was forcing her to keep quiet about their relationship. That thought made Kiba wonder exactly how far she'd _gone_ with the blonde. Anything past hugging would definitely mean a serious talk with the blonde. "…did you…y'know…"

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata exclaimed, surprised he would ask such a thing. She was expecting him to bug her about _who_ the guy was, but, if her friend was willing to let that little bit go, then it meant less refusing on her part. "…h-hai…" she answered, a crimson shade erupting on her pale cheeks.

_Oh, that's it…Blondie's gonna die…_Kiba decided as he forced himself to smile supportively at Hinata. "I'm happy for you…how did your father take it?" From the watery look that came to Hinata's eyes, it obviously wasn't a good reaction on Hiashi's part. "Did he get really mad?"

"…iie…he just…said I'm not allowed to see him anymore…" Hinata whispered softly, bowing her head. Kiba inwardly cursed. Between Naruto and her father, Kiba was going to have to do some serious chatting. He might actually have to ask his sister for help on this one. No one hurt his friend like this and got away with it. His course of action was confirmed when he heard Hinata sniffle quietly and he could smell the salty tinge on her face.

"Hiashi's just gotta mind his own business," Kiba stated gruffly as he pulled Hinata into another hug, making the girl squeak in surprise. "If you guys love each other, no one else's opinion matters…" He glanced down at Hinata curiously for a moment when he heard her sniffles stop. "You do love him, don't you?"

"H-hai, very much…and he loves me too…" Hinata said, smiling into Kiba's torn jacket. He chuckled quietly as he tightened his arms around her. He could see she was happy with Naruto, but that didn't mean Naruto wouldn't have to answer for what he's done.

"arf!"

"Oh, Akamaru…you've woken up…" Hinata was surprised to hear the dog's bark, but was glad that he had woken up on his own. It meant that there was no serious damage done to the cute puppy. Hinata hadn't been too sure of the nin dog's injuries since she knew very little about dog anatomy. She pulled out of Kiba's grasp in order to turn and look at the dog. Akamaru's tail was wagging and, as soon as Hinata's face was visible, he licked her face enthusiastically.

"He said he's happy for you," Kiba commented with a smirk on his face. Akamaru stopped licking Hinata long enough to bark, as if reassuring Hinata what Kiba had said was true. The girl giggled and wrapped her arms around Akamaru. Kiba watched the Hyuuga and his pet, remembering all the times other people had tried to hug the dog and Akamaru had nearly bitten them. The Inuzuka family knew better than to touch another person's dog, who were bred to distrust anyone but their own master. Many children in Kiba's academy class had to find that out the hard way. It had surprised Kiba when he had first become a genin that, even when he was in a bad mood, Akamaru never snapped at Hinata. The girl had, at first, been afraid to be around the puppy-the pair could smell how fear radiated off her whenever Akamaru was around-but, as time went on and they became closer, Hinata started to trust the canine and visa versa.

Kiba had nearly had a heart attack when, one morning while they were on a long mission, he woke up to find Hinata brushing Akamaru in the middle of camp. And his dog didn't seem to care that the girl wasn't, in any way, related to his master. For a while, Kiba had been jealous of how easily Akamaru had come to accept Hinata. When he was little and Akamaru had been given to him, the dog had always bitten him and, after a while, his family started to worry if something was wrong with Kiba. It was unheard of in the Inuzuka family for someone's dog to turn against them, especially when they were so young.

It had taken one accident for Akamaru to finally start warming up to Kiba. It happened one day, when they had been walking together-in an uncomfortable atmosphere-after Kiba's mother kicked them out of the house, saying they needed some fresh air. A group of bullies that Kiba had the misfortune to meet before had quickly found him and started making fun of him. They, like so many other people, thought it was funny that Kiba didn't have a nin dog at his age when almost everyone in his family had at least two or three by now. They had then noticed Akamaru was reluctantly following him and started to mock the puppy as well.

It had only been by sheer luck and quick reflexes that Kiba had caught a glimpse of a rock in one of the boys' hands before he threw it at Akamaru. He had been fast enough to shield the puppy from the attack, but had gotten hit in the back of his head by the rock meant for the dog. Kiba had passed out from the shock of having his skull being cracked open by the forceful blow and, when he woke up, he was surprised to find himself in his own bed with his older sister leaning over him, a wide grin on her face. The other Inuzuka had then proceeded to tell Kiba that she had happened to be walking down the same street he had been on when he was knocked out. She said all she saw was Kiba moving in front of the stone, then Akamaru snapped out of whatever stupor he had been in. The girl had then gone on to act out the way the white puppy had attacked the group of bullies, giving them more than one good injury to go home crying over. Kiba had been surprised to hear that, since his puppy seemed to hate him, but was even more astonished to hear that Akamaru had then proceeded to start dragging the boy three times his size home. Kiba's sister had been too amazed to do anything but follow Akamaru home and watch as the dog proudly pulled his master into the house, where everyone, even their parents, had been stunned into silence.

Ever since that day, Kiba and Akamaru had been closer than any other pair in the Inuzuka clan. People were surprised to see how easily they adjusted to being in each others' life, but were confused when Kiba and Akamaru started becoming more like one person than two. Nowadays, there was very little they could hide from each other and even less than they could disagree on.

Too bad it seemed like today would be one of those unusual days…

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Kiba heaved a sigh, covering his ears as the white puppy growled at him. It wasn't unusual for them to fight, but this was just ridiculous. Ever since they had dropped Hinata off at Shino's, since the girl didn't want to return home just yet, Akamaru had been clearly pissed off about Kiba wanting to talk with Naruto.

"Arf!"

"What do you mean 'we don't even know if Naruto is Hinata's lover'?" Kiba retorted, returning the glare Akamaru gave him. "Look, he's the only guy it _could_ be! And, unless you know something I don't…I don't see anyone else who could possibly get Hinata to act like that!"

"Arf arf!"

"…don't start putting words in my mouth! I didn't say that _Naruto _was a bad influence…I'm just saying…that they're kinda young to be having sex, don't you think? And, if he does love Hinata as much as she thinks he does, even an idiot like him should know they can't _hide_ it!"

"…grrr…"

"…oi, don't use that tone with me! I feed your sorry ass!"

"…arf…"

"I knew you'd see it my way…" Kiba stuck his nose out proudly once Akamaru admitted defeat, but froze when he felt his puppy's mouth wrap around his arm, just tight enough that Kiba could feel his teeth rip through his shirt. "Oi! What's that for!" Akamaru barked with Kiba's arm in his mouth, but his meaning hadn't been lost. "…'you'll see'! You bit me, Akamaru!"

The dog ignored his master's retort and started walking towards his own destination, pulling a unenthusiastic Inuzuka along with him. They could hear people talking as they awkwardly walked on, Kiba nearly doubled over so the dog would still be touching the ground with all four paws and Akamaru with his nose pointed up, checking street signs every now and again. Some people, the ones who obviously never saw an Inuzuka and his dog before, laughed at the sight while others who were familiar with Kiba and his dog just raised their eyebrows and sighed a 'what did Kiba-kun do now?'.

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Kiba rolled his eyes as he leaned back in the tree. His backside was starting to go numb, but Akamaru didn't care. The dog had demanded Kiba sit up in the tree and watch. _Watch what? He leaves me to go off somewhere…probably to go home and sleep in my bed while I'm cramping up here in this tree…_Kiba thought to himself as he shifted again on the branch. It didn't help any, but at least it gave back a little bit of feeling in his, otherwise, tingling butt. Akamaru hadn't even _hinted_ at what Kiba was supposed to be watching for. He didn't know anyone who lived in the particular apartment complex that the tree was closest to, so he had kept his gaze on the dimly lit street below. So far, nothing except a few drunk couples walking by had given him anything of interest to watch. And those few instances were more disturbing than out of the ordinary.

Whatever it was that Akamaru wanted him to see must have been very important since the dog had reminded Kiba several times (before he left Kiba alone in the tall tree) that he had to keep his chakra masked and make sure that no one could see him. The dog-lover snickered quietly to himself, knowing that no one would be looking three stories up into a tree and, even if they did, they wouldn't be able to see him through all the leaves and branches. It was the perfect spot to sit and spy-if there was anything worthwhile to watch…which there wasn't.

Kiba stifled a yawn as he stretched his legs out again, before they too started to cramp up. As good as a hiding spot as it was, the tree branch was far too thin and scratchy to be considered anything but uncomfortable. He looked up from the street, knowing that the strain he was putting on his eyes in order to see the dark, empty road would give him a headache if he didn't stop soon. The teen bent his head back and looked up into the verdant canopy above him. In the moonlight, the leaves seemed to be a dark blue instead of the bright green Kiba knew they were. The silvery light also made an eerie shadow across the branch he was sitting on-making the shape of a person crouched down, but there were many pieces of material fluttering around him as if they were tails.

Kiba turned his head so he could look at the apartment building. From his seat, he could clearly see that they weren't the best places in the village, but there was one that stood out more than the rest. The majority of the rooms seemed to be deserted-or infested by rats-but this one…it was sparsely furnished, but the Inuzuka could see that someone lived there. There was a small bed resting next to the open window and it was covered in pale sheets whose color was distorted by the moonlight. The rest of the room was as bare as the bed; a small table with one chair, a few countertops that were immaculately clean, a tiny refrigerator, but Kiba could see nothing that would hint on whose room it was.

Suddenly, his eyes caught the moonlight reflecting on something. Curious, Kiba slid out of his perch and jumped over to the apartment's window, gracefully landing on its inner ledge. Thankfully, whoever lived here left the window open. Kiba glanced around the room, sniffling the air, but both actions told him the same thing-no on was here, but the smell of the place was very familiar. Kiba tried to place who this scent belonged to as he slipped into the room, his feet landing silently on the other side of the bed, then he went in search of what had gotten his attention.

Kiba found the object on a nightstand next to the plain bed and, making sure there weren't any hidden jutsu or other traps in the room, picked up the picture. There were four familiar faces smiling-or, in half the cases, glaring-back at him. A smile tugged at his face as Kiba studied the four people. A pink-haired kunoichi who had a severe case of multiple personality, a jounin behind her with his only visible eye turned upwards in a curve. The other two faces were what caught Kiba's interest the most. The remnants of the Uchiha clan looked exactly the same as the last time Kiba had ever seen him, his mouth in what had to be a permanent frown and his eyes on the other person in the picture. The brightest yellow Kiba had ever seen covered his head and his entire body coated in a disgusting shade of orange, but it was the pout on his whiskered face that Kiba to chuckle.

No matter what, there was always that fox-like appearance to Naruto, even when he was locked in a glaring contest with his rival. Looking around the room, Kiba was slightly surprised at how different the boy's room was from his personality. Wondering about that, he gently set the picture frame back down exactly where he had found it and raised an eyebrow when he noticed the drawer was opened a sliver. His conscience told him it wasn't right to snoop, but Kiba had an idea that, whatever Akamaru wanted him to see was in that drawer, so he slid it open enough so that he could see its contents.

More picture frames, Kiba discovered as he pulled out a few. There were ones that seemed like they were only taken a few days ago, but the other ones were what caught his attention-the old pictures. Kiba found several ones that had to have been taken before Naruto was old enough to go to the academy, since he wouldn't have known who it was if it hadn't been for that spiky head of hair and the whisker marks on his face.

_What…the hell…_Kiba thought as he looked at one in particular. It was a photograph of the blonde on a swing that Kiba recognized as the same one in front of the academy, but the peculiar thing about the picture was the boy's face. It wasn't the usual, happy-go-lucky grin Kiba always associated with the boy and it wasn't the glare Kiba had also become accustomed to since Naruto had started seeing him as a rival. It was the most heart wrenching expression Kiba had ever seen on someone. Naruto looked so…alone in the picture, just staring off into nothingness with a deadened glimmer in his eyes. His mouth wasn't in any way telling, like it was now, but was fixed in a straight line across the boy's face.

The Inuzuka put the disturbing picture down and continued sifting through the pictures. There were pictures of Naruto, smirking as he hung off their academy teacher, Umino Iruka, there were others of the boy laughing at the Sandaime, but there was one kind of picture that Kiba never saw. Of all the photographs in the drawer, there wasn't a single one of Naruto and his parents-or even of his parents. Even Kiba, for as much as he was annoyed by his mother and father, carried a picture of the two with him at all times, along with a photo of him and his sister when they were little, a picture of the girl when she became a chuunin…pictures of Kiba and Akamaru, of his team. Besides that one picture, Kiba couldn't find any evidence of Naruto's team, there were no hints of any other family or friends…nothing.

_I…knew he was an orphan…but I thought he lost his parents…when he was a kid…_Kiba thought to himself, looking down at the picture of Naruto on the swing, realizing that the boy didn't _have_ any family pictures…because they never existed. If he was like Hinata and prone to letting his emotions take over him, Kiba knew his eyes would have been filling with tears at the mere thought of living so alone…for his whole life. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like not to have his parents around when he just wanted someone to hug him, telling him that everything would be fine…not even a sister to annoy him, but keep him company when he was sick or hurt…Naruto didn't even have a pet to share his companionship with.

The boy was completely alone. Kiba tightened his grip on the picture in his hands, but nearly dropped the picture when he saw something besides pictures resting in the bottom of the drawer. Kiba cautiously picked up the sharp object, turning over the kunai in his hand as he gently set down the picture frame. Using two hands, Kiba studied the knife curiously.

It was coated in a deep rust color, which was what caught Kiba's attention in the first place. He had never seen a blade become so rusted it was almost black in color. If Naruto had been keeping a weapon in the nightstand for protection, Kiba could understand why the blade was there. But this? It would be useless, except to spread tetanus and probably a few other diseases. The blade's edge was chipped and was in serious need of sharpening, but it was _perfect_ in some unexplainable way. As if it was supposed to be that way for some reason that Kiba couldn't understand.

Kiba slid a sharp nail along the blade, surprised when the rust began cracking and flaking off into his palm. _It…isn't rust…_Kiba decided as he studied the dark shavings in his hand. Rust didn't just break off like that, it rubbed off, leaving a reddish-orange stain, but the stain underneath his fingernail wasn't anywhere close to orange-it was blood red. He carefully put the blade up to his nose and took a questioning sniff, nearly flinging the blade out of his hand when the unmistakable scent hit his nose.

_Blood_.

There was nothing that could leave the same sickening taste of iron in his mouth, but what had gotten Kiba to nearly throw the blade away in fear was the fact he could tell the blood was human. Not just from any human-but the blonde idiot who was always smiling, always so confident and proud of himself. Kiba studied the blade again, apprehension tightening his gut as he looked it over. Now there was no mistaking the blood for rust-the scent lingered in Kiba's nose and his mouth, making him almost sick with its powerful odor. He didn't know how he hadn't sensed it before, but a small part of him reminded him why. He never thought that _Naruto_ of all people would keep a kunai coated in his own blood. Especially when the scent was still so fresh that it was making the Inuzuka's stomach turn.

Kiba didn't want to believe what he had just discovered, but the evidence was sitting in his shaking hands. For a moment, he wondered if _this_ was what Akamaru wanted him to see-the bloodied kunai, the pictures…even the apartment that reminded Kiba of a hospital room, not Naruto. As he slowly put everything back in the drawer, in the exact order he found it, Kiba knew that this was the reason Akamaru had been so against saying Naruto was Hinata's boyfriend. The kid was so emotionally messed up that he probably wouldn't have known love if it hit him in the face. But, how did his puppy know it when no one else could tell something was wrong with Naruto?

He closed the drawer, holding onto the small knob for a moment longer, for support more than anything else. His mind was still reeling with the irrefutable evidence. It wasn't possible…Naruto wouldn't do anything like that! Even Kiba knew the boy was one of the bravest, simplest…most caring people to ever exist. _We were all so wrong…_Kiba realized as he sat down on the bed, not trusting himself to stand anymore. _…does anyone even_ know_ him?_ Kiba wondered, looking down at his shaking hands.

It hurt slightly to know that someone who he had seen as a good friend (as well as a pain in his ass) had been hiding something like _this_ from everyone, but what hurt even worse was knowing that he couldn't tell anyone about it unless he wanted to admit he went sneaking through Naruto's private things. Being stubborn, hell, even being stupid…those were things he could stand having people accuse him of…but not for being untrustworthy. He would rather die than have people think he was deceitful. But, for one of his friends, he might just have to destroy his own image. Kiba decided that the first thing he would do tomorrow would be to take Naruto aside and have a different kind of chat than he had been planning on.

_Shimatta…why didn't you tell anyone?_ Kiba asked, burying his head into his hands.

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Authoress: how's that for a prologue?…I'm sorry, it's not in my usual style, I know…but I thought I'd try something a lil'…darker…with this pairing…but I promise, things will lighten up soon!

Kiba: so, if Naruto's not Hinata's boyfriend…who is?

Authoress: all in good time, my Doggy Boy, all in good time…so, until the next chapter…ja ne! and (onegai!) review! We writers like to hear what everyone thinks…especially when trying something new!


	2. Chapter One

Authoress: I can't believe I'm back already with the second (maa…first, since the _first_ chapter was a prologue…)chapter to "Revealing A Kitsune"!…I didn't think it would be taken as well (since it's not the usual Naruto/Sasuke or Naruto/Gaara pairing…), but I'm ecstatic that everyone seems to like it so far! I nearly bounded in joy when the reviews for chapter one hit twenty….and that number just keeps increasing daily! YOSH!

Tina-chan: Ooo, this chapter is really interesting! –turns to Kanemoshi- Do you really need betas? I couldn't find any mistakes… but at least we get to read them before anyone else! -hee-

Disclaimer: …wah, I don't own Naruto…never did…never will…now that I'm in a depressed mood…onto my angst-filled chapter!

Chapter One

Naruto sighed as he slowly opened his apartment door. He hadn't even needed to get his keys out because he had long since given up on locking the door when he left during the day. Even if someone had the urge to break in, they would just break the piece of metal if it had been locked. It was just, in the words of Shikamaru, too troublesome.

As the door creaked open, Naruto's senses suddenly went into overdrive, picking up the faintest scent-one that he knew shouldn't have been so noticeable _inside_ his tiny apartment. He slipped into the room, slowly closing the door behind him. Whoever had been in his apartment had left only a few seconds ago-probably when they heard his door scraping on the floor as he opened it.

Naruto calmly walked across the two-room apartment and realized that the smell was emanating from his bed. Whoever had broken into his home had been sitting on his bed, judging from the different pattern of wrinkles on one spot right next to his nightstand. That made the blonde wonder who would have broken in without stealing something or even doing any visible damage. All the other times someone had gotten into Naruto's apartment, he came home to find all the windows broken, his furniture torn apart, his mattress slashed…even every picture in his apartment had been thrown around, torn apart, or otherwise destroyed.

_Who was here?_ Naruto wondered as he sat down on his bed in the exact same spot his intruder had, noticing that his gaze drifted over to his nightstand immediately, as if something there was pulling at him. He smirked as he bent over and opened the small table's sole drawer. Everything was in its right place-the exact way he had left it-but there was something _different_. Naruto blindly sifted through the drawer's contents and nearly jerked his fingers back when he felt something sharp prick his fingertips. As a warm trickle of blood slid down his punctured finger, he carefully wrapped his hand around the warm object and pulled it out of the drawer.

He studied the kunai for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly when he realized that, compared to the rest of his room, the knife was exceptionally warm, which only meant one thing. Someone had broken into his house and had found the blood-coated kunai. The intruder had held the blade in his hand and, from the slight indents Naruto could see on one side of the blade, the mysterious person had scraped off the dried blood.

**They know…** Naruto ignored the growling voice in the back of his head as he, literally, threw the kunai back into the drawer, kicking the nightstand shut as he let his body drop backwards onto the bed. Whoever had broken in now knew about Naruto-they knew about the one thing _no one _knew about. The blonde cursed loudly as he brought a hand up to cover his face. He closed his eyes slowly, loving the darkness that enveloped him for the moment.

His eyes snapped back open when he recognized the thick scent that had been surrounding him. No one else had that particular smell of grass, dirt, and sweat, combined in such a way it wasn't too overpowering, but enough to be evident to Naruto's nose. No one else had that wet-dog scent surrounding them either.

_Kiba…shimatta…_Naruto pulled his hands off his face and found himself staring up at a silver moon and the beginnings of a sunrise. For a second, the blonde was sure he saw a brunette, minus his usual companion, leaning against the tree right outside Naruto's window. Naruto blinked his eyes, but by then, the image was gone. The view troubled Naruto because, for that short moment, he was sure he could see lines trailing down the boy's cheeks, reflecting the silver of the moon.

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Kiba had been able to slip back into the Inuzuka household without any family member catching him, but as soon as he opened his bedroom door, he was met with a pair of knowing brown eyes. His heart plummeted as he shuffled across his messy room to flop down on his bed next to Akamaru.

"Was that what you wanted me to find?" Kiba asked softly, burying his head into his soft comforter. Akamaru didn't answer, but from the nuzzle his white dog gave the side of his head, Kiba knew Akamaru's answer. A sudden urge to scream took over Kiba's body as he rethought what exactly it was that he had found. "WHY, DAMN IT!" he exclaimed as he flipped over to glare at his dog. Whatever attempts Kiba had made to keep his family asleep were all nullified with that outburst. The other canines in the family had picked up the exclamation, along with the tone of helplessness in Kiba's voice, which had gotten the majority of the furred beasts to come flying towards Kiba's room, barking loud enough to wake the dead-along with every member of the Inuzuka clan.

Kiba was so aggravated by his dog's actions-and his need to share that little bit of information with Kiba-that he didn't even realize he had woken up the entire household until his father came flying in, his two eldest nin dogs at his heels. The old man looked around the room, searching for whatever danger had woken everyone up out of a sound sleep, but caught one look at Kiba's expression and his guard immediately dropped.

"Kiba…Daijoubu ka?" Kiba shifted his glare from Akamaru to his father, who had a worried look on his tattooed face. Kiba forced himself to take a deep breath, calming his expression into something that (he hoped) resembled the 'I'm fine' he was about to utter. Kiba never got the chance since his sister came thundering into the room, with the rest of the family at her heels. From the whines the furrier half of Kiba's family was emitting, the boy knew his 'fine' excuse wouldn't hold up. They had heard his desperation

"Kiba-kun!" Kiba tried his hardest to evade the older Inuzuka, but still found his face being crushed into her massive chest as she let out a variety of squeals. Somewhere among her painfully high vocalizations, Kiba picked up a 'what happened!'

"It's alright, I'm _fine_," Kiba stated, trying to gasp for air at the same time. His comment must have gotten the canines surrounding his bed to stop their barking and whimpering, judging from the dead silence that ensued, but when he finally extracted his head from his sister's chest, he noticed that the dogs were all looking at his white puppy. Akamaru had somehow told all of the other nin dogs to stop their complaining. It wasn't the first time the Inuzuka teen wondered if their family dogs were telepathic, since the dogs' human counterparts were lost as to what had just transpired between their dogs and the boy.

"_Kiba_…you screamed…"Kiba's mother pointed out as she sat down next to Kiba, patting his hand reassuringly. The woman was one of those people who everyone immediately warmed up to and was very calming presence most of the time. But this time, not even his mother would be able to make Kiba feel any better. Nothing short of a miracle could do that now.

"I'm fine, kaa-san," Kiba said softly, knowing that, if he let himself, he would break down in a moment. He would wrap his arms around the woman and just sob into her shoulder, but he couldn't do that…it was one thing to tell a friend that he knew something, but another thing entirely to tell his whole family (and, consequently, the entire village) before even talking to Naruto. If nothing else, Naruto deserved a chance to be heard out, just in case Kiba had misunderstood something.

The boy wasn't exactly one for religion, but, for the first time in his life, Kiba found himself praying-praying that when he went to see Naruto tomorrow, the boy would just laugh it off and give him a completely plausible excuse as to why there was a kunai coated in Naruto's blood in his nightstand. It would be so believable of an answer that Kiba would gladly accept it as the truth and forget about his findings.

Things would be completely normal if things panned out like that. There was only problem with the Inuzuka's delusion. The feeling he got as he thought of just forgetting about everything; the ache in his heart.

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Sakura yawned, stretching her arms up as she walked along the bustling streets. The morning traffic wasn't that bad this morning, which gave her a chance to walk at a pleasurable pace, taking in all the new displays that had been put up in preparation for the festival next week. It was going to be the village's chance to properly welcome Tsunade as their new Hokage and show off the village's prosperity to their new leader as well as other villages who might have ambassadors in Konohagure during the festival.

There were countless windows packed with delicious looking treats or newly imported bottles of alcohol, while others were filled with beautiful articles of clothing. There were even shops that had really gotten into the festival spirit and had constructed life-size statues of the Hokage, the Hokage monument…there were even a few jewelry shops that had beautiful bluish crystals displayed. Sakura hadn't ever seen that particular necklace anywhere else, but had heard that the new Hokage had worn one exactly like that for many years. The blonde woman probably still wore it, but it would have been difficult to see underneath the Hokage robes, so Sakura couldn't make a decision on how authentic the necklaces looked.

"Sakura-chan!" The pink-haired teen couldn't help but cringe slightly when she heard that particularly screechy voice erupt somewhere down the street. Within seconds, she found a bouncing ball of blonde energy standing in front of her, his usual Cheshire grin on his face. "Ohayo!"

"Ohayo, Naruto…" Sakura replied, smiling at her friend's contagious enthusiasm. He, more than anyone else in the village, seemed to be excited about Tsunade becoming the new Hokage. Maybe it was because he had been the one to go and get her…or that Naruto had someone new to challenge for the Hokage position. Sakura inwardly grinned, unable to deny that, one day, Naruto might just achieve his dream. A year ago, Sakura would have been mortified to think that this blonde idiot could even _think_ of becoming Hokage, but after getting to know him…after seeing how fiercely loyal and determined he was…and how powerful he could be…Sakura knew he had more of a chance than anyone else.

"Maa, Sakura-chan…do you know where Dog-Breath is?" Naruto's question caught Sakura off-guard. The two boys were like fire and ice-oil and vinegar. It was just something that, even if they trained together for years, would never get better. Even Sakura could clearly see that. She smiled pleasantly, but shook her head. Naruto didn't look too disappointed, so Sakura guessed he just wanted to find Kiba in order to make fun of the Inuzuka or something. Sometimes Naruto's juvenile mind could be entertaining…other times, it was embarrassing. Today happened to be a enjoyable day.

"So, Naruto…are you doing anything today?" Sakura, for once, didn't ask him about his plans out of manners. She seriously wanted to know what he was doing. Ever since Sasuke abandoned the village, it was too depressing to be alone. Most days, Sakura went to hang out with Ino, but the blonde girl had quickly gotten annoyed with Sakura's clinginess, so that was no longer an option. She tried to get closer to TenTen, but the girl crept Sakura out way too much, so she had no one to fill her time with yet. Naruto was her only other choice.

"Un, Ero-sennin and I are training…" Naruto replied proudly, puffing out his chest. Sakura shook her head. The boy had only been released from the hospital a few days ago, but he was already getting back to his training. His healing abilities amazed Sakura. If it had been anyone else to receive those injuries, they would still be unconscious on a hospital bed. The girl was so intrigued that she promised herself to one day find out how Naruto did it.

"That sounds like fun…" Sakura said softly, trying to hide her dejection as Naruto said a quick farewell, then went sprinting off towards the training grounds. She watched the blonde leave, his bright head of hair disappearing into the crowd. With a sigh, Sakura went back to her window shopping.

Within half an hour, she had become so bored with the window shopping, she had evolved to outright shopping. She found herself laden with several bags-mostly filled with unnecessary things or small gifts to give all her friends at the festival. There was one bag in particular that Sakura was surprised to find in her hands. It was a normal enough looking bag, but inside, Sakura knew that there was a beautiful kimono wrapped up so that not even its forest-green color could be seen. The salesman in the store had been all too persuasive with that purchase. The kimono alone wiped out almost all of Sakura's savings, but she had to admit that she needed a new kimono for the festivities-and it wasn't like she needed the money for rent or food, like so many other shinobi. Sometimes living with your parents had its perks.

Sakura continued glimpsing down into the bag with her new kimono, wondering if her mother would approve of it. It was a beautiful design, with soft, pink cherry blossoms cascading down the whole outfit, as if they were falling from Sakura's hair. It had an amazing overall effect. When she had tried it on in the shop, Sakura was surprised to find it was a perfect fit-as if it was made for her. It made her look older-more sophisticated, in many ways. It also took people's attention away from her flat chest and behind, pulling their eyes to her small waist (which Sakura hadn't really known she had until today) and gracefully curving hips. Even the salesman was at a loss for words when she came out with the kimono on.

The pink-haired kunoichi was so caught up in the memory of how good she looked in the outfit, she slammed into someone before even realizing it. Sakura's eyes scanned around, apologizing profusely until her eyes met those of the girl she had nearly ran over.

"Hinata-chan…gomen, I wasn't paying attention…" Sakura said, noticing how the girl started shivering almost as soon as Sakura had said her name. _What a weird girl……matte…maybe I can hang out with her, since Naruto ditched me for training…_Sakura thought to herself with an evil grin. If she could make friends with the Hyuuga heiress, she would have someone to talk to and train with (who wouldn't beat her to a bloody pulp within five seconds, like everyone else). Not only that, but there was something about Hinata that just made Sakura at ease. Perhaps it was the fact that the girl was so shy she was unable to even say anything. Someone like that was the total opposite of Ino-which was a blessing in Sakura's mind.

"S-S-Sakura-s-san…" Hinata stuttered, bowing her head respectfully. Sakura took a deep breath, feeling uncomfortable at how polite Hinata was being. They _were_ classmates and, being such, they had talked every now and again.

"Hinata-chan…I-I was wondering…are you doing anything today?" Sakura asked curiously, watching in amazement as Hinata's expression changed from curiosity to fear to embarrassment to shock, then finally, to happiness. "I'm taking that as a no…"

"I'm free, Sakura-san…" Hinata said softly, smiling at Sakura as she stood back up. Sakura noticed, for the first time, that Hinata actually was quite tall-only a few centimeters shorter than the pink-haired kunoichi. If the Hyuuga didn't bow or hunch over so much, she would have been much more noticeable. Sakura inwardly smirked, letting her eyes trace along Hinata's face. The girl was actually quite pretty when she didn't have the 'deer in the headlights' look or a terrified expression on her face. She had beautiful (if not slightly creepy) eyes, perfect skin, a slight frame that showed that she wasn't _small _or thin, but perfectly fit. It made Sakura wonder why she was hiding an amazing body like that underneath her baggy clothes.

A small part of Sakura was immediately attracted to Hinata. Not in a sexual way or anything like that, but more of a respectful sense. If Sakura had that kind of a body, she knew she would wear the skimpiest thing she could get away with and wouldn't be the timid girl Hinata was. If it wasn't for her nature, Sakura was sure Hinata would be incredibly popular with the male population of Konohagure. Maybe it was a good thing Hinata wasn't interested in relationships, though. It would have meant that boys would have to get to know her father. Sakura hadn't actually 'met' the man, but still disliked him after hearing all about the Hyuuga main and branch families.

"So, Hinata-chan…what do you want to do? Do you have something to wear to the opening of the festival next week?" Sakura asked, shaking her kimono's bag as she said so. She was surprised to see Hinata shake her head. She had assumed that, being the Hyuuga heiress, she would have had a dozen custom-made kimonos hanging around at all times.

"Iie…I was actually going…to go get one…today…" Hinata replied softly, smiling slightly. Sakura couldn't help but smirk at that. In the few moments she had been talking to the girl, Hinata had already begun warming up to her.

"Yosh! Then I'll help you get something to show off that body of yours!" Sakura exclaimed loudly, making Hinata blush furiously. The excited Haruno smiled evilly as she wrapped her hand around Hinata's wrist and began dragging the girl back to the shop where she had gotten her kimono.

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"Arf?" Kiba pulled his head out of his pillow enough to get a wet tongue across his exposed face. He cursed under his breath, wishing Akamaru wouldn't do that, but couldn't help but smile at his puppy's enthusiasm, since it was infectious.

_Today Shino and I were going to train, then go take Hinata out to lunch…then some training alone with Akamaru…then I could go bum some dinner off of Kurenai-sensei…_Kiba carefully planned out his day as he slid out of his bed, sniffing his clothing curiously. It didn't smell, therefore it was clean enough to be worn in public, according to the Inuzuka's philosophy. He chuckled softly as he slipped out of his room and started sprinting down the hallways of his house, only slowing down as he ran through the kitchen. He pilfered a muffin out of his sister's hands as he ran by, laughing at her loud cursing as he continued jogging out of the house, heading towards the training grounds.

Kiba started nibbling on the muffin on his way there, noticing immediately that it was his favorite kind. _Mmmm…corn, raisins, and blueberries with onions…_Kiba could taste all the distinct flavors, which weren't lost in his ravenous state. He would have been a terrible Inuzuka if he couldn't take the time to smell or taste the flavors around him. Kiba had been devastated the last time he had gotten a cold and could do neither. Now he never took that ability for granted, no matter how much his stomach growled for him to finish the muffin.

For a moment, Kiba looked down, watching Akamaru running next to him. It wasn't often his mother made his favorite muffins-the only time being when he was sick, sad, or otherwise not his usual self. Kiba tried to think of what made his mother bake the small cakes, but couldn't place it until he ran into _it_ once he reached the training grounds. He didn't actually run into the cause of his muffin's existence. Rather, it was that Kiba froze as soon as his eyes registered that there was a tan blonde standing a few feet away from him, stretching like all shinobi did before beginning their daily training.

"Oi, Dog-Boy!" Kiba snapped out of his state once he heard _that_ voice-its tone so sickeningly happy, while still somehow having a biting edge. No one else had ever been able to master that particular ability, but Kiba didn't take the time to appreciate that small talent as his eyes met those impossibly blue orbs.

"Oi…" Kiba replied softly, finding his ability to walk again. He took a few steps forward and was surprised to see Naruto's expression change to immediate annoyance-an emotion he had _never_ seen on the blonde before. Well, he had seen the boy annoyed, but not like _this_. Not with the barely contained hatred underneath it.

"…next time you break in, I'll kill you…" Naruto stated threateningly as he stood up from his stretching and looked at Kiba with distain. The Inuzuka was too surprised…and afraid…to do anything else but flip off Naruto. That, obviously, had a bad effect on Naruto's already awful mood. "Fuck off, Inuzuka…"

It was the first time Kiba could ever remember Naruto using his surname, let alone cursing at him with such seriousness in his voice that the boy could faintly hear Akamaru whimper fearfully. "Arf…" the white puppy barked softly, warning Kiba to get away from Naruto _now_.

_What the hell is wrong with Naruto?_ Kiba almost laughed at that thought. He knew exactly what was wrong with his rival-Naruto wasn't normal. The boy had serious problems and knew that Kiba knew his secret. _Is this really what Naruto is like?_ He couldn't help but wonder as he became lost in that cold blue which usually held so much happiness.

"Naruto…I just want to help…" Kiba said softly, unable to tear his eyes away from Naruto's. The blonde smiled sardonically and actually chuckled at Kiba's statement. Kiba could clearly hear the disbelief in his voice.

"_Help_?…I don't need _your_ help, asshole," Naruto retorted, his voice surprisingly calm and even as he took a step towards Kiba, making the blonde close enough to touch Kiba if he stretched his arm out. For a moment, Kiba wondered what Naruto was doing, but didn't even have the chance to think about it more as Naruto, with a speed Kiba had never seen before, landed a powerful blow to the boy's abdomen.

That hit knocked Kiba to the ground, where he proceeded to heave up his small breakfast, along with whatever else had been hiding in his stomach. Somehow, Kiba didn't have to look up to know that Naruto was enjoying this. If it had been anyone else besides the Inuzuka, they probably would have wondered if this was the real Naruto. Too bad for Kiba; he knew the boy's exact scent, the way his heart beat slightly irregularly-faster than a normal person's, skipping a beat once every few soft thumps. Even the boy's breathing patterns were revealing. No one, no matter how good they were at jutsu, could never perfectly replicate all of that, especially well enough to fool an Inuzuka.

"Stay the hell away from me…" Naruto stated dispassionately as he crouched down to look into the kneeling teen's eyes. Kiba found himself mesmerized by those deep blue orbs which held all the emotion that had been absent in the boy's voice. He could see the hatred Naruto held, but seeing that distain at such a close distance, Kiba could now tell that it wasn't completely directed at _him_, but someone else. Whoever it was, though, had obviously done something terrible to Naruto. Kiba smiled despondently when he realized who it was that had wounded Naruto so badly. All he had to do was see the loneliness in those beautiful, pain-filled eyes.

"It's not your fault he left…" Kiba wheezed as he said it, trying to gain some of the breath back that Naruto had knocked out of him with that single punch. Naruto didn't respond verbally to Kiba's observation, but he didn't have to. The change in his expression said it all. The boy's eyes lost all the hatred and isolation and was replaced by _nothing_. Where there was once so much emotion, there was only deep blue voids left. It was as if Naruto's fury and aloneness were just a façade and somehow, Kiba's statement had dissolved the boy's resolve and Naruto was finally showing his true face. Kiba discovered that seeing Naruto like this-so exposed-made him tremble slightly. This wasn't the loud, boisterous shinobi he had known since he was a child. He wasn't the smiling blonde who was always in the wrong place at the wrong time, pulling pranks, or otherwise terrorizing the village at all times. He was just a boy who had been utterly destroyed by his best friend's betrayal.

Kiba brought a shaking hand up to touch the teen's face, fairly surprised when Naruto didn't jerk away from him. Instead, the blonde remained perfectly still, his eyes locked on Kiba's as the emptiness in his blue eyes filled with unrestrained sorrow…and regret. "…I couldn't save him…" Naruto whispered softly, his eyebrows furrowing into an expression of desolation as he dropped his head slightly. Kiba's hand was still touching his cheek , so the Inuzuka slowly picked Naruto's head back up so he could look into Naruto's eyes.

"…no one could have saved him…" Kiba said gruffly, surprising himself with his own understanding of Naruto's situation. He was never one for kind, comforting words, but he was compelled to help the boy a few inches away from him, who, now, was on the verge of tears. Even within his own team, Kiba disliked showing any of the 'useless' emotions, since it wasn't fitting for a shinobi to show their weaknesses. For the first time, Kiba realized that these emotions were far from 'useless.' They were powerful-even more so than anger or hatred. And he couldn't help but inwardly admire Naruto for containing such influential feelings all the time, covering them with a grin and a proud laugh.

But that didn't stop Kiba from frowning when he saw Naruto trying to hold back the tears as well as his emotions. Both boys knew that what Kiba said was true, to a point. No one could have ever brought _all_ of Sasuke back-not even someone as powerful as the Hokage. It would be one thing to drag him back to the village, but Kiba knew that Sasuke would never be the same if that had happened. He would have become even more withdrawn, probably so much that he wouldn't even speak to his best friend anymore. Sasuke, in essence, would have died with his reluctant homecoming.

As much as Kiba hated to admit it, things were better-for everyone-this way. Even considering one of the strongest people he knew was before him with tears in his blue eyes, Kiba knew this was for the best. He put on a smile and brushed away a falling tear with his thumb from the blonde's round cheek.

"I…tried…but I wasn't strong…enough…" Naruto whispered softly…stubbornly, pressing his soft flesh into Kiba's hand. For unexplainable reasons, Kiba felt his heart speed up with Naruto's action. He couldn't stop himself from bringing his other hand up to Naruto's face and pulling the smaller teen's face closer to his own.

"…_no one_ could have brought him back, baka…" Kiba added the nickname with a smirk, which got Naruto's face to break into a soft smile. Kiba reluctantly admitted to himself that he liked Naruto better this way-not pretending to grin at the smallest of things. The tiny smile he could see on the boy's face in this moment was more radiant than anything Kiba had ever seen before in his short life. "Maybe, when you finally become Hokage…you can beat the crap out of that bastard and drag him home kicking and screaming…" Kiba knew immediately that he had said the right thing when Naruto attacked him.

This 'attack' wasn't anything like Naruto's earlier punch. The boy simply flew into Kiba's chest, wrapping his arms around Kiba's neck and clinging to him as though he was the only thing anchoring Naruto to the ground. Kiba instinctively returned the comforting embrace, burying his face into the blonde's silky locks.

Kiba held onto Naruto as the boy's body began to shake. If it had been anyone else, Kiba knew he would have been flipping out if they tried to cry on his shoulder like Naruto was. But it was different with Naruto. The boy needed this release and Kiba wasn't going to deny that he _liked_ the feeling of Naruto trusting him enough for something like this. Hell, it was an added bonus that Naruto's body was flush against his own, sending a spectrum of sensations through the Inuzuka's body.

_…do I…_like_ Naruto…?_ Kiba wondered to himself as he felt the blonde begin pushing away from him. He reluctantly loosened his grip and sat back on his heels as Naruto backed up slightly. The boy's face held a faint blush, along with tearstains down his scarred cheeks. _Kawaii… _That image, along with the mental comment that went along with it, made Kiba snicker. No one would believe him if he ever admitted that Naruto was amazingly _cute_ when he blushed. Just confessing to himself made Kiba seriously question if his mother hadn't put something strange in the muffin he had for breakfast. He was seriously considering the thought of her drugging him, but remembered (with a helpful reminder from his growling stomach) that he had lost his breakfast due to the blushing teen a few inches from him.

"…oi, why don't we get some breakfast, since you…stole…mine…" Kiba said softly, unconsciously knowing not to mention anything about Naruto's crying. The boy smiled in the 'usual Naruto way' and nodded his head energetically. "…and…Naruto…I-I…I mean…if you…" Kiba didn't know how to put his thoughts into a coherent sentence, but, from the chuckle that came from Naruto, he guessed the boy understood.

Gaki, don't get close to him…he'll just hurt you…

I'm not stupid, fox…I know that…but…it felt nice…

**_Nice_ doesn't keep you safe from the villagers…he'd just be like the rest if he knew what you were…**

_I know…_

"Leave me alone, Kiba." Kiba gaze snapped up to Naruto's eyes when he heard the seriousness in the boy's voice and was surprised to see the coldness had returned to his eyes. For a moment, Kiba wondered if Naruto-like a certain pink-haired kunoichi he knew-had split personalities, but knew it couldn't be true. There was something in Naruto's unbelievably blue eyes that got Kiba to frown, shaking his head stubbornly. "…Kuso…next time I won't just punch you…so…just forget about everything…"

"Baka…if you think I'm going to sit back and watch you kill yourself, you're seriously wrong…" Kiba folded his arms across his chest, mentally wondering how far Naruto would go to protect his secret. From the murderous glare that his comment received, Kiba knew that he made a big mistake-and was about to pay for it in blood unless he was able to move quickly.

"…why the hell would you care?" Naruto retorted frostily as he slowly stood up, wiping the still-wet tears from his face. Kiba followed suit and, once standing, took a step back as he surveyed the area. It was a more open area of the training grounds, which wouldn't help him-or Naruto-with concealing themselves, but still gave the blonde the upper hand. He had speed and an amazing amount of power. Kiba was calculating, sneaky, and very good with using his senses, but none were useful right now. Inwardly cursing, Kiba glanced around and found Akamaru resting serenely in the shade of one of the few nearby trees. _Damn dog…_Kiba cursed as he felt the blonde's chakra levels increase to the point Kiba's skin began tightening from the heat the boy was radiating.

Kiba knew that this couldn't have been the boy who was the dead-last in their academy class…this wasn't the blonde who had actually failed his final exam, but still graduate by helping return an important scroll (that had been stolen by him). _What could have happened in such a short period of time?_ Kiba wondered in incredulity, but before he got a chance to mentally suggest any answers, the blonde attacked.

The only thing Kiba felt after the burst of chakra was a staggering numbness, which was quickly followed by complete blackness.

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Authoress: okay, okay…that was a bad way to end the chapter…but, what did everyone think?…gomen if I started playing with Naruto's emotions and reactions too much…but I'm basing his personality off some of the people I know who suffer from depression…and they're kind of hard to predict in that emotional way…so, gomen if I made Naruto OOC (or…well…whatever…) and as for Kiba…/applauds the dog-boy/ he's finally realizing he's starting to like Naruto…go Kiba! So, once again, review please…last chapter got an amazing turnout (26 reviews)…so I'd like to get somewhere around that many…if it's at all possible…/smiles innocently/ so…until I finally get around to writing the next chapter…ja ne!

Oh, and one more thing, I'd like to thank Beta-chan and Tina-chan for beta-ing this chapter…they did a wonderful job, ne//claps for her wonderful beta readers/ they're so wonderful…I'm going to have to write some amazing lemons dedicated to them one of these days…as a _big_ thank you! Kukuku…I'm so bad…


	3. Chapter Two

Authoress: I'm so sorry everyone for not updating sooner…but…(in case you haven't heard) it's REGENTS WEEK here in NY…/cries/ But, now that I'm almost done with all my regents (a history one in an hour…then Physics in two days…)…YOSH I'M ALMOST FREEE!…anyways…I am so amazed at the reviews I'm getting for Revealing A Kitsune so far….I didn't think the Kiba/Naruto pairing was that popular…but…I guess it's the stranger pairings that attract a lot of attention…so, anyway…I'll type this chapter on one of my school's computers as I wait to go take my US History regents…….I'm so happy I somehow learned something in that class when the only thing I did the entire period was read my Shonen Ai manga while our teacher lectured…kukuku…I'm so bad!

LB: You aren't alone, Kanemoshi-chan.

Tina-chan: There is no lemon… but the end is cute.

Disclaimer: …aight, I don't own Naruto…I don't own the computer I'm typing on either…all I have to my name is the floppy disk I'll be saving this chapter to!

Chapter Two

**What are you waiting for?**

_Nothing…I…I just…_

**Don't get attached to humans, Gaki…they only bring trouble…**

_I know…but he really wanted to help… _

**He wanted to help the blonde _human_ he thought you were…do you think he would have been so understanding if he had really known what you were?**

_…I guess you're right…But, for a second, it felt kind of nice to have someone care about me…_

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Kiba groaned softly as he opened one eye, closing it immediately when the blinding light hit him. _Kuso…what time is it?_ He wondered to himself as he squinted, noticing that the light wasn't actually as bright as he had initially thought. He hesitantly opened his eyes fully, taking in the shockingly white room around him. He knew it wasn't his room, but it felt somehow familiar. It only took him a second to realize why. _A hospital room…_ All the rooms in Konoha's Hospital were exactly the same and Kiba had spent enough of his young life in one to recognize those attributes. There was one thing, though, that was slightly out of place. On top of the small nightstand next to his bed there was an envelope held down with a glass vase. The vase was filled with beautiful flowers and, from the arrangement of them, Kiba could tell Hinata had something to do with them. For the colors, he could see that was entirely Ino and Sakura's doing. There were also a few other unusual things sitting around the room, but all were more common in a hospital room than the envelope. There was a box - probably some game from Shikamaru - a basket of fruit from Choji, and a large stuffed spider. Kiba smirked when he lifted up the arachnid that was laying right next to his arm. It was almost as _adorable _as Shino's last present - a tiny little beetle that had immediately become attached to the Inuzuka and his puppy. That little pest (who gave Shino the ability to 'check up' on Kiba at all times) had latched itself onto Akamaru and, ever since then, Shino always knew where Kiba and his dog were and what their conditions were. To other people, it might have seemed like an invasion of privacy, but to Kiba, it was a friendly - almost brotherly - gesture. Shino, even though he never looked like it, was always worrying about his teammates' well-being, especially Kiba since he knew the dog-lover could get into an amazing number of bad situations.

Kiba's eyes returned to the white envelope, wondering who would have left him a letter. He guessed the contents because it didn't seem thick enough for much else. He slowly sat up, wincing as his abdominal muscles shifted. That reminded Kiba of the fact he was in a hospital…and Naruto attacking him was the last thing he remembered before blacking out. _That little bastard…knocked me out with one hit…and left me in the hospital?_ Kiba looked around the room curiously. There wasn't anything he could see or smell to hint as to how long he had spent in the hospital, so he shrugged it off and went back to sitting up. Kiba found it impossible to hold himself up without a great deal of pain, so he leaned back against the pillows behind him as he reached for the letter. He was careful not to upset the vase as he slipped the paper out from underneath it, but the water still shook as Kiba picked up the white piece of paper, surprising himself at how heavy it was.

_What's in here?_ He wondered as he studied the envelope up close. There was no writing on the front or back of it, nor were there any other indications of who it was from, so Kiba did the Inuzuka thing to do in this kind of situation and sniffed the letter. He was amazed to discover there was no discernable scents on it, except for the smell of the hospital…and someone Kiba was sure he should know of. He raised an eyebrow at this mysterious scent. It smelled like someone important, but he had no idea who it could be…especially someone who he couldn't immediately recognize. He opened the envelope slowly as he wondered what could be making it so heavy. Peering into the white object, Kiba found his answer. There was a small piece of paper wrapped around the blade of a kunai. It didn't take Kiba more than a second to identify the kunai. _This…is the one I found at Naruto's…_ Kiba realized as he shook the contents of the envelope out onto his bed. He didn't trust his trembling hands to do it.

Kiba didn't know why, but for some reason, the realization of Naruto leaving his bloodied kunai made him slightly fearful. A small part of the Inuzuka wondered if that meant that something had happened to the blonde - but he ignored the idea of something bad befalling the boy as he hesitantly unwrapped the blade and flattened out the paper. He could see the markings in the paper and knew instantly who the messy, childlike writing belonged to. _Naruto…_

Kiba mouthed the words as he began reading the page-long letter.

_Oi, dog-breath…I'm writing this a week after I beat you…you haven't woken up yet, but the doctors are sure you'll be up in a few days. Funny, I didn't even hit you that hard…you're such a baby - can't even take a hit. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I'm kinda sorry that you were hurt badly enough your creepy bug friend insisted on taking you to the hospital…but I'm not going to apologize. You had no right to mess with my business…so we're even, I guess. _

I should probably tell you this before you hear it from someone else, but I'm leaving today to go with Ero-sennin…we probably won't be back for about three years. And when I finally do come back, I hope you'll be able to take a hit like a real shinobi! Because when I do return, you bet I'm gonna come find you and spar to show you how much I've improved! So, I hope you get better soon, you big baby, and you best be able to give me an actual challenge by the time I come back!

Kiba looked over the ending to the letter and couldn't help but smirk at the boy's haughty attitude - even in writing. _He left…I didn't even get to say goodbye…_ Kiba thought to himself, but slightly doubted if he would have actually said a farewell if he had gotten the chance. The Inuzuka looked over the letter a second time, picking up on the smallest changes in the boy's characters. As the letter progressed, those changes in Naruto's writing became more apparent. In the last three words of Naruto's note, Kiba found exactly what he had been looking for - uncertainty. Not only that, but Kiba could clearly see the tell-tale indications of regret.

Reading someone's handwriting in this manner was an ability that every shinobi was taught from an early age - to see underneath the underneath. Naruto's handwriting was always easy to read for emotion; not for words since almost all of his characters looked identical - very messy. When they practiced reading for emotions in the academy, Kiba was usually paired up with Shino - who was very hard to read since his hands hardly ever quivered because of his emotions. Iruka-sensei, seeing this, had then switched around pairs and Kiba found himself working with Naruto most days. Even as a child, it didn't take Kiba long to realize that something was _different _about the boy. He knew he didn't have the best handwriting, but even Kiba's was years ahead of Naruto's. Sometimes, it almost looked like Naruto was still learning how to write. And the formation of his characters reflected that, along with the broad range of emotions Kiba had seen in Naruto. Usually, when they were young, his writing reflected the happy, bouncy nature Kiba had come to associate with the blonde, but as they got older and were taught to look even deeper into the writing, those once 'happy' words took on a whole new meaning.

Right before they graduated the academy, Kiba had seen one of Naruto's compositions and could clearly see that the emotions - the longer lines showing excitation and broad curves revealing a carefree attitude - were all faked. Somehow, Naruto had trained himself to write in such a way no one could tell what exactly he was feeling. _It was the same way…with his expressions…with his tone…with everything…about him…_

Kiba continued to stare distantly at the letter as he inwardly berated himself for not doing everything in his power to help Naruto when he had the chance. _Now I don't even know where he is…Kuso…_

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"K-Kiba-kun…you sh-should still be r-resting…" Hinata stammered, watching her teammate as he bent over to pick up Akamaru. The boy had initially been aggravated to find the hospital wasn't going to allow his puppy in to see him and wouldn't let him go outside, but after a few days, Tsunade-sama finally gave in and let the white fur-ball into the hospital to visit with Kiba. Hinata had been working with the busty woman for the past few days with odd chores, since her team had very little else they could do without Kiba, and had heard Tsuande arguing with her assistant, Shizune-san, over the policy of dogs in the hospital. It wasn't until Shizune mentioned Naruto's departure that Tsunade broke down and finally agreed to the dog's visit.

Since then, Akamaru pretty much lived in Kiba's hospital room. Even today, the day Kiba was being released, the dog was bouncing around the room or pulling on Kiba's clothes to get the boy to follow him out the door. Hinata had to agree with Akamaru's obvious feelings about the hospital - the sooner they left, the better. She liked hospitals, well, actually medicine was Hinata's interest, but she didn't like seeing her teammate unable to walk without wincing or, on the first few days, incapable of even walking. Kiba was too strong to be so injured.

"…Daijoubu, Hinata-chan," Kiba replied, trying to hide the fact he was panting slightly as he shuffled back to his bed with his beloved dog in his hands. "Y'know, Hinata…you never told me who you're dating. From what I've gathered from Shino, your father found out and nearly castrated the guy…"

"…Tou-san…wasn't very…h-happy with my choice…" Hinata said softly, bowing her head in remembrance of the anger she saw in her father's face when her lover walked up to the man one day and asked for permission to bring Hinata to meet his family. Oh, her father's initial reaction was nearly to have a heart attack, as expected from any over-protective parent, but then he had become frighteningly cold. He had glared at Hinata, as if everything was her fault, which sent the shy girl into tears once her father had stormed out of the room without even gracing them with an answer.

"…that bastard always has something up his ass…don't worry, in a couple weeks, he'll be back to his normal, cranky self." Kiba smirked from his seat on the hospital bed and noticed how Hinata's expression brightened immediately. He couldn't help but want to wring her father's neck for kicking the girl out of his house last night. Shino offered Hinata a place to stay until her father calmed down, but she politely refused and, somehow, ended up spending the night squeezed onto Kiba's hospital bed with the Inuzuka and Akamaru. If it hadn't been for the fact Hinata and Kiba were in no way attracted to one another, it might have been a very uncomfortable night, but, as things were, they sat there most of the night and talked about how much life could suck. In Hinata's case, it was her latest fight with her father, then with her lover. Hinata had told him that she didn't want her father to know who he was, but he still went ahead and told the older Hyuuga, essentially, everything about his and Hinata's relationship. Kiba, on the other hand, told the Hyuuga heiress all about his little 'tiff' with Naruto - and how exactly he ended up in a hospital bed for over a week.

Surprisingly, Hinata took the news calmly - as if she already knew. Kiba found out after a little more discussion on the blonde that Hinata always knew he had some issues, but she didn't think it was her place to bring them into the public view. She already knew Naruto had enough problems with the villagers and, as Kiba thought over it, he realized that Naruto _was_ mocked and hated more than anyone else in the entire village - even the traitorous Uchiha brothers were held in higher respects. That made Kiba wonder what exactly Naruto had done. He had a sinking feeling that the boy's depression and resulting self-destruction was a result of that reason.

_What could you have done, Naruto? The only thing that could get the village to hate someone so much is to kill an innocent…but even Sasuke's brother isn't hated that much by _everyone_…but, if it was something so terrible…why doesn't anyone in our generation know what Naruto did? It couldn't have been so terrible that it was removed from the records…we still would have remembered…we couldn't have been that young…to not remember what Naruto did…_

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"You sure you're okay with this?" Naruto tore his glare directed to Jiraiya's back and rolled his eyes, sighing as he took a few quick steps to catch up to his perverted teacher. The old man had been asking the same thing for the past few hours after leaving the village, but Naruto had yet to give him a different answer.

"Yes, for the last time…" _I had to leave…there's no way I could have stayed any longer…_ Naruto added to himself as Jiraiya gave him a worried look, raising an eyebrow when Naruto flashed him a bright smile. "I have to become strong enough to become Hokage one day!"

"…Brat, with that determination of yours, you might just become Hokage…" Jiraiya stated, chuckling when Naruto's grin widened. The boy was an amazing person. Jiraiya realized that a long time ago, years before Naruto was even old enough to hide his emotions so well only a select few ever knew what he went through. Jiraiya sighed at that thought, raising a hand to rub the boy's blonde locks. "…you know, there's better ways to escape a situation than running away for a couple years…"

"…huh?" Naruto played innocent, bringing his arms up to pull Jiraiya's hand away from his head. "What are you talking about? I never run away from something!" He puffed out his chest and pouted at the author, inwardly smirking when he saw Jiraiya's composure crumble and the pervert's usual grin left his face. "What?"

"…you…just remind me so much of _him_ when he was little…" Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he watched Jiraiya take a deep, steadying breath. It took the old man a few moments to calm himself to the point that he could replace the smile on his face. "…you're not the only one to deal with hard things, brat…"

_I seriously doubt that anyone's gone through this before…besides that red-head…Gaara…_

As if he had heard Naruto's thoughts, Jiraiya spun around so he could stand in front of the blonde and grabbed Naruto's wrist with lightening-fast speed. In almost the same amount of time, he pulled up both his sleeves. Naruto's eyes widened as Jiraiya's grip loosened on his arm and he found himself lining his forearm up to the old man's, his eyes tracing over the shockingly white marks across his inner arm, then to Jiraiya's arm where there were pale, shimmering marks that stood out against the man's otherwise unmarred flesh. The marks traveled the same past across the man's skin as Naruto's did, but there were so many more, Naruto found himself counting the scars in fascination.

**It must have taken years…to get that many…**

_…but…he's so…happy all the time…_

**So are you.**

"See, we're not so different…neither was _he_…" Naruto ripped his gaze from Jiraiya's arm to stare at the man with a newfound sense of respect…and curiosity. _Ero-sennin and…the Fourth…did this too?_

"…but…he was…amazing…why would he-"

"…everyone has problems…some of us just deal with our problems differently…" Jiraiya said with a sigh. Tsunade had drilled that sentence into his head as soon as she had found out about his 'problem' back when they were teenagers. She never once judged him or worried that he would do serious harm to himself, but it was her duty to report it so Jiraiya had found himself under the scrutiny of many village elders, doctors, and other people as they tried to decide what to do with him. The jounin community never commented on it when it became public knowledge, but the civilians treated him like a pariah for many years - until he finally decided to leave the village after the Kyuubi attack. Ever since then, he refused to return and live among those who had been so hateful - fearful of him. After some time, though, he began returning for short visits, to check up on the demon's container. He wasn't at all surprised to discover the boy was suffering from many of the same things Jiraiya had seen in people who had been forced to deal with difficulties from an early age.

_…it's no wonder the majority of the shinobi community has scars like these…they've all had hard lives since they were young…_Jiraiya couldn't help but smile sardonically at his thought. He rubbed Naruto's hair with his other hand as Naruto continued to study the similarities in their arms. The boy stepped back quickly, pulling his orange sleeve back down to cover his scarred arm. _…ahh, that reminds me…the dog-kid…Naruto obviously has something for him…I wonder how much he'll open up to me during this trip…it could be the motivation for my new Shonen Ai series…_

"…I know what happened between you and the Inuzuka…and I think you should know…I left after I lost everyone who was important to me…and I haven't lived for long periods of time in the village for _twelve _years. My lover betrayed our village years ago…then I lost my best friend…I couldn't even come inside the village's gates for over five years…but I came back to see _his son_ on his first day in the academy."

Jiraiya turned around and started walking down the worn path, only stopping when he heard the lack of Naruto's pounding footsteps. He turned his head enough to see the boy. Naruto was frozen in the same spot Jiraiya had left him, his blue eyes staring down at his hands. Jiraiya couldn't stop himself from chuckling when he saw the boy's blue eyes…filled with tears. As the first droplet made its way down the boy's round cheeks, Jiraiya noticed the barest of smiles on the blonde. It was a true smile.

_Maybe we're not that different after all…_

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Authoress: maa, how was that chapter? I was going to somehow squeeze a lemon into there…but I couldn't…not with that kind of cliffy…that was creative…and oh, so perfect…I couldn't think of a better way to end a chapter…….so, anyways…I want to thank everyone for their reviews so far…/squeals/ I can't believe the feedback I'm getting…so you all should give yourselves a hand! So, again…for those of you who aren't familiar with my other story 'Underneath The Scars,' I have created a new way of rewarding my wonderful reviewers. The **one hundredth** reviewer will get a story of their choosing (pairings, genre, and such…I'll just be the writer/pervert who does the lemons…and thinks of the story's plot…kuku)…I'm somewhere in the fifties right now…but, with all the lovely reviews I've been getting, I'm sure that that number will increase very quickly!…so, back to the story…I'm sorry for such a short chapter…and for not having any lemony goodness in this chapter…but, I will give everyone a hint…the next chapter will have a two and a half year timeskip…which means…there shall be some confrontation between Naruto and Kiba (what a pairing, ne?)…confrontations mean lemons…or, at least, limes………..whatever…there shall be smut of some sort!

LB: More angst on the way!

Authoress: And, of course, I would like to thank Tina-chan and LB-chan for beta-ing this chapter (didn't they do a lovely job!) /smiles/ it's so nice to have beta readers! And they're such wonderful people!


	4. Chapter Three

Authoress: Yay, I'm back already with Chapter three….even though this is my second time writing it…my computer froze…and deleted my entire chapter…so…let's try this again…kuku…I'd like to dedicate this chapter to all of my amazing reviewers…/cries/ this smut is for you!

Kiba: did she just…say what I think she said?

Authoress:…yep, there shall be smut this chapter…maybe not a full-blown lemon…people may die from the nosebleeds…and I'd rather hit one hundred reviews (remember the reward for that one?…a story written just for you!) before any deaths occur…so…on to the story and smut! And remember, we're fast forwarding two and a half years now…I'm not going to stay to the manga's storyline anymore…I'm the author of this lovely fic, so I have that prerogative! YOSH! For one…I'm changing Kanky's whole part in the story…and he's very tall…and /drools/ quite hot if I do say so myself…so…roll that depressing disclaimer!

Tina-chan: OMG, Kanky are Hina are so cute, they made me cry. T.T And another one of my fav pairings are in here! Whoot! Hee, I luv Kiba-kun! Also, Hiashi should be fed to sharks...

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…nor anything else for that matter…nope, not even my always-freezing piece of crap computer!

**Chapter Three**

Kiba took a deep breath as he opened one eye when he heard the loud squealing - and barking. He couldn't help but smirk as he watched Hinata and Akamaru running around the clearing. Their movements were perfectly in sync - their attacks almost as synchronized as Akamaru and Kiba's trained actions. It was no wonder their assailment was so flawless - they worked on this particular exercise almost daily while Kiba sat back and, every now and again, made a constructive assessment of their teamwork.

Hinata let out a giggle when Akamaru finally hit his mark - well, actually _bit_ it, but Kiba wasn't going to become technical as he watched the group in amusement. Kankuro cried out, now clutching his offended posterior as he glared from Akamaru to Hinata. You would think after the first few times, the Suna shinobi would catch on to Akamaru and Hinata's favorite game - "catch." Of course, the game of catch for ninja was very different from the civilians'. First of all, it was improperly named. It should have been called "bite the Kazekage's brother's butt," but Kiba thought 'catch' had a much more harmless ring to it.

"Hinataaaaa" Kankuro whined as he rubbed his now sore cheek, trying his hardest to glare at the devious pair, but gave up when Hinata came over to him and smiled at the young man. No one could stay mad at the Hyuuga for very long - especially when she was using her charms on them. Kiba had found this out many years ago and, for that matter, so did Kankuro. He sighed as he watched the short girl stand up on the tips of her toes in order to pat him on the head.

Initially, Kiba was surprised at their size difference. Hinata's head only came up to about the middle of Kankuro's chest and that wasn't saying that she was very short, either. Kankuro was one of the people who proved the whole 'shooting up like a bean stalk' comment. In a matter of a few months, the young shinobi had, literally, become several heads taller than any other teen Kiba knew. Now, if Kankuro was to stand up next to even the jounin of either Konoha or Suna, very few could actually look _down_ at him. Kiba thought about it for a moment and was pretty sure that, besides _maybe_ Kakashi and Gai, most people of either village would be looking up at Kankuro in order to talk to him. Not only was he tall for his age, Kankuro was also more muscular than most shinobi of his village. It wasn't a bulky muscular, but more of a lithe, defined figure that showed how diligently he trained. Either way, it was obvious that Kankuro was strong enough to do serious damage - even involuntarily.

When he first realized that, Kiba had been very cautious around Kankuro and when Hinata was near the Suna shinobi, Kiba was insanely overprotective. In his mind, Kankuro had to be like his younger brother and sister - crazy, emotional, and highly unpredictable. After a while, though, the Inuzuka slowly let go of his original distrust and defensive temperament and got to know the young man. Nowadays, Kiba saw him as a good friend - almost like a brother - and he knew that, out of the three siblings, Kankuro was the most _normal_. But, then again, Temari wasn't that bad - she was just very bitchy, especially when it concerned Shikamaru or her brothers, but that was just because she was, well, _Temari_. And then, there was Gaara. He was getting a lot better with the whole 'normal' thing. These days, that murderous aura couldn't even be felt unless you annoyed the crap out of him - which everyone was very careful _not_ to do.

Kiba smiled when he saw Kankuro smirk underneath his Kabuki makeup and the tall teen's arms slithered around Hinata's waist and lifted the girl up into his arms, pulling her against his chest. Hinata squealed to be let down as she kicked her legs futilely in the air, but Kankuro just laughed and tightened his grip around her. Kiba could tell that he wasn't holding the girl hard enough to hurt her, so he remained seated as he heard Kankuro whisper into Hinata's ear, "got you." Apparently Kankuro forgot how good Kiba's hearing was since he began blushing furiously - which was noticeable even under all his makeup - when he glanced over at the Inuzuka and saw the knowing smirk on Kiba's face.

It was moments like this that Kiba could clearly tell how off his original feelings for Kankuro had been. Hatred, suspicion, fear - every day, Kiba's old thoughts on the teen were disproved. Kankuro was so gentle when he was around Hinata that everyone knew that the young man wouldn't - _couldn't_ - harm her. Not only was he gentle, he was more open around the girl than with anyone else. Kiba had spent enough time with the pair to know that Kankuro hid nothing from Hinata and that the young man didn't care what anyone else thought of him. That in itself made Kiba like him a great deal more than most shinobi in his own village. Kankuro openly displayed his affections for Hinata when among friends and in public, but had refrained from doing so when around Hiashi - the prick that the old bastard was. The reason behind that was that Hinata had requested it and no one, not even the great Puppet Master himself, could deny her. Of course, in the past few years, Hiashi had become a little more accepting of the pair - even to the point he had allowed Kankuro into the Hyuuga mansion on a few occasions. Not that he ever cared if he had Hiashi's permission to visit Hinata before.

Two and a half years…who would have thought it would have taken that old bastard so long to finally recognize Kankuro's feelings for his eldest daughter. It had only been a few weeks ago that Hiashi had agreed to allow Kankuro to officially court his daughter. Not even two days later, Kankuro had gotten down on one knee - in front of Hiashi, the rest of the Hyuuga family, his siblings, and the majority of the shinobi community - and made a love declaration that had even gotten his icy sister and TenTen to begin crying softly. Kiba had been one of the proctors at that unforgettable chuunin exam and had caught the glimmer of the _hefty _rock before Hiashi had even gotten the chance to realize what was going on. He, along with Neji, Shino, Lee, Shikamaru, and Gaara, had to actually restrain the older man while everyone waited in anticipation for Hinata's answer. It had been such a quiet stammer that no one except Kankuro had caught it, but leave it to the shinobi population to learn how to read lips.

_"…h-hai…"_

For several days straight, the betrothal was celebrated. It wasn't simply the fact that the heiress to the most powerful clan in Konoha was marrying the brother of the Kazekage, even though that itself tightened the bonds between their two villages, but that everyone who knew Hinata and/or Kankuro couldn't help but be ecstatic that they found a love as powerful and moving as theirs. Of course, since Hinata was only fifteen and Kankuro was sixteen, they were going to have to wait a few years to marry - it was the only way to placate Hiashi, who was about to have a heart attack once Hinata responded to Kankuro's proposal - but neither shinobi cared. As long as they could remain together, Hinata and Kankuro said they would wait an eternity.

After that progression of events, Kiba and Shino, along with Neji and Kankuro's siblings, were enlisted to 'supervise' the pair - another one of Hiashi's requirements. No one minded, though. On days like this, Kiba was glad he agreed to watch them. Every minute he spent around Kankuro made him like the older teen even more. Kankuro was beyond in love with Hinata - the young man was wholly bewitched and couldn't be any happier.

Kiba whistled for Akamaru, who happily came bounding over while barking about how Kankuro's butt always tasted like sand. For a moment, Kiba chuckled at that. Hinata and Akamaru had played this particular game with the Suna shinobi all the time, but Kankuro never stood a chance against his beloved and her favorite nin dog. All it took was one smile from Hinata and Kankuro's defenses would drop - giving Akamaru ample time to begin gnashing on his posterior. And, even though he complained for hours afterwards, Kankuro didn't mind the biting - by getting his ass gnawed on, he could see Hinata laugh happily while at the same time training herself to be a better shinobi.

"Arf!"

"Alright, alright…we can go visit Shino now…" Kiba replied, brushing Akamaru's furry coat as he slowly got up. He smirked when he saw the pair of lovers had already forgotten about everything around them - lost in each others' eyes. Hiashi would kill him if he knew Kiba - and everyone else - left the pair so they could have some alone time, but Kiba held the firm belief that Hinata and Kankuro weren't stupid and they deserved a chance to be together, even if it was only for less than an hour. It wasn't often Kankuro came to Konohagure for a diplomatic reason (which gave him very little free time with Hinata). Waving idly at the pair, knowing they wouldn't notice his absence, Kiba started walking towards the scent of his best friend.

As he walked, Kiba wondered what would happen when Hinata and Kankuro were finally married. If they decided to live in Suna, Kiba knew he would miss the timid girl and would make up a few interesting excuses to go all the way to the sandy village - or request long missions there. If it was the other way around, Kiba knew that he'd be seeing more of Gaara and Temari around Konoha. With a smirk, Kiba remembered that that wouldn't exactly be a bad thing for anyone. The little relationship between Temari and Shikamaru had finally been blown into the open - with a little _help_ from Kiba, Ino, and Choji. That thought made the Inuzuka remember something that had gotten him into such a good mood that morning.

_Hehe, let's see if he'll have a comeback for this…_Laughing evilly to himself, Kiba changed his direction to head towards a completely different scent. All it took was one laughing bark from Akamaru to get the chuunin to chuckle out loud as they trekked towards the other Hyuuga Kiba had a soft spot for.

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"…Fifteen…" Neji counted aloud before taking a deep, steadying breath. _Fifteen kunai…_he repeated to himself as he turned around to look at TenTen and Lee. The pair were smiling proudly and Lee gave Neji a thumbs up, which the tensai took as an unsaid 'correct!'

"Yosh!" Lee cried, his inner-Gai shining through as he posed before pumping his fists into the air. How his best friend could get more worked up over overcoming the Byakugan's blind spot than Neji did was beyond him, but the Hyuuga found that the enthusiasm was contagious as he smirked. First, he woke up next to the most beautiful creature to exist, then this. Today certainly was a good day for one Hyuuga Neji.

"…you found all fifteen, Neji-kun…" TenTen stated, barely contained joy in her voice. Neji had to bite his lip, knowing that if he didn't, he would be outright smiling - and that was very un-Neji-ish. Instead, he opted to stuff his hands into his pockets and act as cool as possible - as if it was normal to do something like this all the time. TenTen went off in search of the hidden kunai in the surrounding forest while Lee came up to pat Neji on the back.

"…still peeping in on Hinata, eh?" Neji inwardly twitched at the comment directed at him. He glanced over to the Inuzuka emerging from the dense foliage and raised an eyebrow when Kiba walked up to him. There was a smile on the chuunin's face that told Neji to be afraid - _very _afraid. Kiba knew something…and all Neji could do was guess what it was.

"I'd never!" Neji spluttered, glaring at the happy Inuzuka. Something was up, Neji knew it…but he hadn't done much lately that would get Kiba so worked up. Why he had been chosen to be the recipient of Kiba's jokes was beyond him, but whatever Neji did to deserve it, he regretted it immensely.

"…yeaaa…" Neji twitched slightly at that sarcastic reply. Okay, so he had caught his cousin and her lover _once_, but that was only because they were doing it in the middle of the kitchen one night…and Neji just happened to be hungry at two in the morning…it was all coincidence…but Neji hadn't been able to live it down since Kiba found out about the incident.

"Urusai…" Neji stated coolly, raising an eyebrow when he saw the evil smirk on Kiba's face. Warning bells went off in the Hyuuga's head and his conscience told him to shut up while he was ahead, but Neji was never one to listen to his more theoretical side when it came to Kiba. The little brat annoyed him to no end…just like a certain blonde idiot that Neji had, oddly, missed for the past two and a half years.

"…hentai…"

"Baka."

"…onnarashii…"

_…I'm not feminine!_ Neji inwardly retorted. Yep, that's why Kiba annoyed him to no ends…he dared to mock Neji's long hair and gorgeous looks. No, the Hyuuga wasn't narcissistic in the least. He cared about his looks - unlike the tattooed, scruffy looking Inuzuka who always smelled like wet dog. "Bu otoko…" (A/N: ugly man (rude))

Kiba slowly grinned, showing off his sharpened canines. Those little warning bells in Neji's head were no longer just chiming - they were slamming against his thick skull, trying to warn to try getting out of their little battle, but Neji couldn't help but be curious. Whatever Kiba had pulled up on him lately had nothing to do with his activities last night - no one knew about them except for the two people concerned - so there was nothing Kiba could say that wouldn't surprise the Hyuuga. That's why, when Kiba gestured for Neji to come closer, the teen did so without question and bent down slightly so Kiba could cup his hands around Neji's ear in order to whisper something. Unfortunately for Neji and his hearing, Kiba decided on a different course of action. "UUUUUUUKEEEEEEEEEE!"

Neji went flying backwards, cupping his now ringing ear. He began visibly twitching as Kiba's cry filtered through his mind. Apparently his two teammates caught the scream as well - from the sound of two bodies hitting the ground, followed by a 'yooooooooooooooooooosh' from Lee. In that moment, Neji knew it…his best friend was a Yaoi fanatic just as much as TenTen was…she finally turned the spandex-lover. And, just Neji's luck…he was the gay one. Oh, TenTen would be demanding details as soon as she revived herself from the death-by-nosebleed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about…" Neji stated as calmly as possible. There's no way Kiba knew for sure…they were being very careful to hide the relationship…so Kiba was just lucky in his guess…but that made Neji wonder how the Inuzuka would think he was the uke. _…I'm not feminine, damn it! _

"…come on, I'm sure people in Sunagure heard you two last night!" Neji's eyes widened as his face paled to the point they began matching his pupil-less orbs. He quickly recounted last night's events. They weren't being loud…no one in the Hyuuga household woke up…and his uncle was a light sleeper…which meant that Kiba was just messing with his mind…there was no way he could tell…especially be able to find out who was seme and uke.

"…"

Kiba smirked, noticing the slight fear in the Hyuuga's eyes. _Kuku…beat that!_ Kiba couldn't help but lick his lips in anticipation of Neji's next reaction. _I love having heightened senses…_ "_Iie…_not here…my uncle…_harder_…_kudasai…don't stop…_" With each comment, Neji's face turned a new, interesting shade that made Gaara's hair a baby pink in comparison. It hadn't been Kiba's fault he could hear the pair - he hadn't exactly made his presence known last night when he stopped for a spur-of-the-moment sleepover with Hinata. At first, Kiba couldn't help but twitch at the sound of the two familiar voices - in a very strange conversation, in the teen's mind - but Kiba couldn't help but be slightly turned on by them and the sounds his dog-like ears could hear. In Kiba's mind, it was official…he had lost his mind and become a Yaoi fanatic like his jounin sensei. That woman had been planning it out since their first day together, Kiba was sure of it…those subtle hints she made about Shino and Kiba's teamwork, how every time any male passed her line of vision, she said the first male she thought compatible with him…Kurenai had done the unthinkable…she had turned one of her own students into a pervert like herself. It was times like these Kiba thanked whatever gods existed that he hadn't gotten Kakashi as a teacher…he could only imagine what the infamous pervert could do to him.

"…I have no idea what you're talking about…" Neji stuck his nose up in the air, praying that his face wasn't as red as it felt. _How the hell did he find out!…his hearing can't be that good…his clan's home is halfway across Konoha……chotto mate…he was at our house this morning…that little bastard…_Neji glared at the Inuzuka, catching the smirk on the boy's face along with the slight blush on his face. _Does…he know who it was?_ Neji wondered and got his answer when he saw Kiba mouth a name at him so that his teammates wouldn't hear.

_Gaara…_

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"So you're telling me that _Neji_ and _Gaara_ are an item!" Kiba's sister stared at him in absolute amazement. The younger Inuzuka nodded his head, not lifting his gaze from Akamaru's soft fur as he brushed the puppy. She squealed in glee and raced out of the room, saying something about calling all her friends. Kiba hadn't actually said anything about the two shinobi being together, she had somehow found out from someone else and just wanted confirmation from him. And, since lying was the one thing an Inuzuka couldn't do to another of the clan, Kiba didn't even attempt to cover it up.

He guessed she had been around one of the two teens and could smell the other's scent on him - Kiba certainly could smell the Kazekage on Neji this morning when he went to mock the Hyuuga. Kiba took a deep breath as he slid the comb through Akamaru's coat, noticing that the dog was shedding more than usual. He had actually noticed it a few weeks ago when he discovered anything dark he wore immediately looked like a shag rug - not that Kiba cared, but everyone else around him had started taking up the duty of carrying a lint brush with them at all times. It was slightly annoying when, out of the blue, another shinobi flew at him, removing all the stray hairs from Kiba's clothes before the Inuzuka had a chance to even defend himself from the invasion of his privacy.

According to Inuzuka custom, their canines shed this much only when they were reaching adulthood - which Akamaru wouldn't be close to for at least four more years - or if their master was under extreme stress, which would immediately be transferred to the dog. Kiba knew everyone had begun worrying about his stress levels weeks ago - hence his frequent (forced) visits to Tsunade-sama. Kiba didn't feel any tenser than usual - of course, the only thing that got him ruffled lately was the fact all of his friends were in relationships and that he had somehow become the one person everyone turned to for help. Even Shino had found someone! Kiba had originally been surprised that the Aburame and Ino had hit it off so well, but, then again, Ino talked enough for the both of them and had quite a bit of experience with quiet males. Shikamaru was less than talkative, but he had Temari. Choji and TenTen - that was one that astonished Kiba more than anything else, short of hearing Neji get fucked by the Kazekage himself last night. Then there was Lee and Sakura - who finally gave up on Sasuke after all these years - and they were surprisingly in love to the point not even Tsunade-sama could pull them apart if she wanted to.

Kiba had told all of this to Tsunade-sama - in fear that, if he didn't, the woman might stuff him with some kind of truth serum and Kiba didn't want _anyone_ to know that much about him. She had simply nodded her head, but agreed with Kiba in that everyone else coming to him for relationship advice couldn't be the reason behind Akamaru's sudden shedding. Kiba had finally just admitted to himself that maybe Akamaru just had a problem or that it was too warm for his puppy - since it wasn't a mental thing caused by the Inuzuka.

"Arf."

"I know, I know…I'm brushing…" Kiba restarted the gentle strokes, trying to hide the fact he had stopped brushing because he was so caught up in his own thoughts. _Maybe it is my fault…I've been thinking a lot lately…but not really stressing…maybe it isn't just stress that would get Akamaru to shed like this…_Kiba theorized, leaning back slightly so he could look at the ceiling of his room.

"Arf arf!"

Kiba inwardly sighed as he glanced down at the dog who had demanded to be brushed harder. Akamaru was suffering from something and it was all Kiba's fault - the Inuzuka immediately started brushing his puppy feverously, listening for Akamaru's pleased growls and sighs as the dog drifted into sleep after a few minutes of Kiba's attention.

Once he was sure Akamaru was out - and wouldn't stir unless he, literally, screamed into the dog's ear - Kiba slowly eased the growing canine off of his lap. With one hand, he brushed off as much as Akamaru's loose hair that he could before sliding off his bed and quietly walking over to one of his dressers. Taking a deep breath, Kiba opened the topmost drawer completely out and set the nearly empty drawer on the floor next to him. He slid his hand into the open space and felt along the bottom of the dresser until his fingers brushed against something.

Kiba gently wrapped his hand around the thin object and pulled it out slowly. He brought the dusty paper up to his mouth and softly blew on it. As a dust cloud flew backwards, Kiba found himself staring at an envelope that was once a crisp, immaculate white, but now had already begun yellowing with age. The paper crinkled faintly as Kiba turned it over in his hands and opened it. He carefully pulled its contents out.

Holding the dirtied kunai in one hand, Kiba's eyes roamed over the words on the paper. _Dog-breath…no one's called me that since he left…_Kiba realized. Not that he actually _liked_ the nickname, but when it came from Naruto, he knew it was to show their odd friendship. _Three years…he said he'd be back in three years…it's almost been that long…_Kiba inwardly sighed at that thought. Almost three years had passed, but he was the only person who hadn't moved on - changed, like everyone else. Everyone else had grown and somehow put the blonde idiot out of their daily thoughts, but every morning, Kiba woke up wondering what kind of prank he'd pull on the Uzumaki today only to remember he was gone. No matter how long he reminded himself that Naruto wasn't in the village anymore, he always woke up to that thought - as if he was cursed to always think about the moron.

_Maybe I should have told Tsunade-sama about that…_Kiba wondered to himself as his gaze shifted to the blade in his other hand. In almost three years, it had yet to change in any way - not that Kiba had been expecting it to. In so many ways, the kunai coated in dried blood was so much like the teen who was holding it. Realizing this, Kiba threw the object to the ground in disgust. Kiba winced as a pain shot up through his arm. Somehow, he had been careless enough to cut himself as he tossed the blade away.

Kiba studied the deep slice in his palm with fascination. The cut was deep enough that it had yet to truly begin bleeding. The Inuzuka, as if under some spell, watched as the gash erupted in red, the liquid quickly taking over his palm, then starting to drip onto the floor from between his fingers and from the side of his hand. The pain was no longer the issue that unsettled Kiba as he felt his stomach tighten in revulsion. _Is…this what it felt like…for him?_ He wondered as he took a shaky breath before making a fist with the bloodied hand. The feeling of the warm fluid seeping out from his tight fist made Kiba begin feeling ill. He lowered himself to the floor and picked up the bloody kunai.

It glimmered in the dim lighting of the teen's room. Now that it no longer held that dull, rusty look, Kiba found himself staring at the beauty that was otherwise hidden in the blade. All shinobi knew exactly what an object like this was ultimately used for, but Kiba had never looked this closely at one of his kunai after it had been used against an enemy shinobi.

He could see that the sharp article was no longer just a simple weapon - it was something that had fulfilled its purpose. Not only that, but it had shown Kiba something that he otherwise would have never understood - why cutting was such an attractive thing. The pain dulled the mental ache - its hurt washing away all his emotions with the rivulets of blood now running down his forearm and dripping to his once unstained floor.

Kiba closed his eyes when he felt a new surge of pain pass through his palm. _Did I cut myself that deeply?_ he wondered as the burning sensation traveled up his arm, leaving a tingling in its wake. Kiba's eyes snapped open, though, when he heard a soft hiss. He stared at his bleeding hand as something akin to smoke slipped out from between his fingers and dispersed into the air. As though the cut had never been there, Kiba couldn't feel the pain any longer - only a slight tingling from holding his fist so tightly.

Hesitantly, the Inuzuka opened his hand, assuring himself that he would be rewarded with a new rush of blood. He stared at his hand in amazement, his eyes traveling over his hand in disbelief. The cut that had left his floor soaked in deep crimson was _gone_, replaced by nothing except the thinnest of white scars. The blood from around the injury was also gone, leaving only a few final drops to land on his floor in echoing _drips._

_What the hell?_ Kiba asked himself as he turned his hand over, trying to find anything to give him a reason to believe he didn't just lose his mind. _I cut myself…the cut is gone…all the blood, too…_Kiba thought as he studied his supposed stained floor. There wasn't any blood to speak of, nothing that his nose could even pick up. He looked at the small mark on his palm, flexing his hand to look at it better in the light. It was definitely a kunai scar, but wasn't thick enough to match the one he had just given himself. It looked more like someone just scratched him with the tip of a blade - something that he could have done in practice and never noticed the scar until now.

Kiba furrowed his eyebrows as he sat back on his heels, trying to think of a reasonable explanation for why his hand had smoked for a moment, then healed itself better than most medic nins could. Not only that, but all the blood had disappeared, even that on his floor.

Taking a deep breath, Kiba passed it up to hallucinations and picked up the kunai and pieces of paper that he had dropped at some point. He froze when his eyes landed on the objects. The kunai wasn't coated in fresh blood, but he could see red stains had bled through the pieces of paper. _I…wasn't dreaming…but…how?_

Kiba sniffled the crimson spots on the paper, recognizing his own scent, but it was so faint, he wasn't able to pick up on it until the bloodstains were right under his nose. He shook his head in disbelief as he slowly folded up Naruto's letter and put it back in its stained envelope. He hesitated in putting the kunai back when he saw the blade. It no longer had any fresh blood on it, like it, logically, should have - only the dried chips Kiba knew were Naruto's - but the Inuzuka also noticed that, where the blade had pierced his hand (where there should have been blood of some sorts), Naruto's blood was also missing. He pondered over that for a moment, an explanation slowly forming in his head.

_…Naruto…healed extremely quickly during the chuunin exams…when he did…smoke rose from the cuts, then they disappeared. Did…his blood just heal my hand?_ Kiba wondered as he turned the kunai over and over in his hand. _What are you, Naruto?_

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Akamaru opened one eye and knew immediately that something was wrong. His master was sitting against the mattress, his head turned away from his puppy. To anyone else, it would have looked like Kiba had fallen asleep while still sitting on his floor, but Akamaru knew better. Something had troubled the boy to the point he had begun meditating - which was something that Kiba hardly ever did.

As if he somehow knew his puppy had woken up, Kiba turned his head and looked at the canine. "Mornin' sleepyhead…" There was something in the boy's voice that made Akamaru whimper softly as he squirmed over to his master's shoulder, stretching to lick Kiba's face as soon as he reached him. "…what do you know about Naruto?"

Akamaru stopped licking Kiba's face for a moment, weighing out his choices. The boy knew that he was hiding something - dogs were very perceptive when it came to humans, or, in the case of a certain blonde, more than human. Akamaru had known ever since the first day of the ninja academy - when he had first smelled and seen the Uzumaki - that something was _wrong_ with him. Over time, the white puppy had discovered what exactly the boy was, what he did to himself, how he hid behind a mask…but he knew that it wasn't any of Kiba's business, so held himself back from reprimanding his owner when Kiba mocked the sensitive blonde. But, now that Kiba knew about Naruto's cutting, Akamaru knew it was only a matter of time before the boy forced answers out of someone - and the closest person just happened to be the puppy.

Inwardly sighing, Akamaru tried to find the words to tell his master that one of his good friends was a demon container, but couldn't even get out a single syllable when he saw the confusion in the boy's eyes. Something had obviously happened while Akamaru was asleep. "Arf?" _What happened?_

"…I asked you a question first," Kiba pointed out before bringing up one of his hands to his face, close enough to the puppy for Akamaru to see that his palm was littered in scars. They all looked old from their pale color, but the dog couldn't remember the last time Kiba's hand had been cut. "…I…they just keep healing…it's faster each time…" he muttered, his eyes dropping to his other hand. Akamaru followed his gaze and noticed the kunai in the boy's hand. It only took the puppy a moment to realize what the blade was covered in and he felt his hair stand up as he thought over what Kiba had said.

"…arf?…" _So, that's his?_

"…his blood keeps healing me, doesn't it?" Kiba said softly, bringing the stained kunai up to his palm and, before Akamaru could say anything, traced the lines in his palm - his lifeline. The flesh separated, showing the puppy how deeply Kiba had cut himself, but as soon as it had been cut, the wound healed itself with a puff of smoke and a soft _hiss_. The deep scratch hadn't even been given ample time to begin bleeding. "…what the hell is he?"

"…arf _arf_…arf…" _The stories of the Kyuubi being contained…in someone in _Konohagure_…_

"…it's him…" Kiba finished desolately, dropping his head. Akamaru nodded his head, even though his master wouldn't see the gesture. "…why didn't you tell me…before…?"

"Arf, grr…" _It was forbidden to talk about…_

"…he heals this quickly…but it still hurts…" Kiba commented, looking down at his scarred palm. "Will it stop soon?" Akamaru didn't need to be told what Kiba was asking about. The boy was afraid that he had this ability - this advantage over everyone else - and he didn't want it to last. Akamaru wasn't sure, but he gave the softest affirmation as he gently licked his master's slightly trembling hand.

"Arf…" _Daijoubu…_

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"N-Naruto-kun?" The blonde spun around at the sound of his name. He smiled when he saw the continuously stuttering Hyuuga heiress. Her voice had sounded so much firmer than the last time he had spoken to her. He was happy she was finally getting over her timidity - especially around him. It used to annoy the blonde to no ends; to have that girl unable to talk to him because she was always so nervous in his presence…it was as though she thought he was going to literally attack her at any given moment.

"…Hinata-chan!" Naruto forced himself to sound enthusiastic as he waved at her. She took a few quick steps to catch up to him and bowed politely once she reached him. Apparently two and a half years really did change the girl. She wasn't even playing with her fingers like she always used to when around him - or anyone else for that matter. Seeing Hinata reminded Naruto that he wanted to go find Neji and see how that particular icy bastard was doing.

"…I heard from Sakura-chan that you returned …yo kata…" Hinata said softly, smiling happily, which got Naruto to smirk. No matter how much she had grown, she was still the same Hinata he always knew. "…everyone missed you so much."

_Missed me?_

**Bah, they just didn't have anyone to mock…**

_You're right…_ "So, how have you been, Hinata-chan? Any _boyfriends_?" Naruto asked for the sake of manners. If Iruka heard that he was impolite to someone as kind as Hinata, the blonde knew that the first time he saw the brunette, he'd get an earful of lecturing from the man.

"…I-I'm fine, Naruto-kun…and…um…oh, that's right…you don't know…" Hinata blushed slightly, which aroused Naruto's curiosity. What could he have missed in two and a half years? "I'm engaged to be married…"

"Whaaa!" Naruto, honestly, was speechless as he stared at the tiny girl next to him. _Engaged? Hinata's just a kid, though! …Kuso…everyone really changed in two and half years…_ He stared at Hinata with a gaping mouth for a few more seconds, then chuckled nervously. "…so, who's this cradle robber?" Hinata spluttered at his comment, her face becoming a bright crimson.

"…I-it's…Kankuro…"

Whatever few brain cells Naruto retained after two and a half years of traveling solo with Jiraiya were zapped away in a flourish of sparks and smoke with that statement. "K-K-Kankuro! Mate…you mean that creepy make-up guy with the puppets!…_Gaara's_ older brother, Kankuro?" Hinata simply nodded her head as she giggled softly, smiling at Naruto's disbelief. The blonde stared, his jaw hitting the ground when he caught a flash of light coming from Hinata's hand. His gaze shifted to the ring on her finger and those last few brain cells that had somehow survived the first attack were fried as he (with all the years of training from Jiraiya) quickly summed up how much something like that was worth. "…is that a _rock_ or a mountain?" _Where the hell did Kankuro get so much money…oh, yeah…his father was Kazekage…and Gaara's Kazekage now…damn it! That redhead is younger than me, too! I'll be Hokage one day!_

"…Naruto-kun…" Hinata smiled again, covering her mouth with the hand with the glittering diamond on it. "…I'm glad you're home…I'm sure when everyone else finds out you're back, they'll throw a party…"

_A party? _Naruto inwardly chuckled at the irony of it all. Everyone hated him when he left, but they would throw a party for his return. Probably just because they had the 'blonde idiot' back so they could mock him some more…either that or just to have a reason to have a party. "…how is everyone else?"

"…they're all fine…but Kiba-kun has missed you quite a bit…" Hinata said softly. Naruto could pick up the telltale pitch in her voice, which told him she was telling the complete truth. That realization got Naruto to chuckle softly. Of all people, he was sure _Kiba_ would have been the last person to miss him. The last time he had spoken to Kiba was when he put the boy in the hospital for over a week. Naruto left without any goodbyes - just a short letter to Kiba. He wondered for a moment if the boy even kept the kunai he had given him.

_Why did I give him my kunai?_ Naruto wondered for a moment. A small part of him knew the answer, but was unwilling to admit it to the rest of the boy. _I wanted to give him a sign…that I was going to change…that he didn't have to worry._

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_Knock, knock._

"Kiba!" Kiba slowly got off of his bedroom floor and shuffled towards the door when he heard the Hyuuga's voice. She sounded rushed, which either meant that she was overly excited and ran all the way to his house, or something was seriously wrong. Since he couldn't hear the urgency and worry in her voice, he took his time in reaching the door - giving Hinata some time to catch her breath.

He opened the door and stepped back as Hinata spilled into the room, her hand raised in a futile attempt to knock on the door again. He couldn't help but chuckle at her flushed face as she tried to save some of her dignity and stand back up before she fell to the ground. "…Hinata?"

"…I…came to tell you…Naruto-kun is back…"

_Back…?_ Kiba stared at her dumbly, for some reason unable to grasp what exactly she had just relayed to him. After a few moments of silence, it finally came to him and Kiba's eyes widened. "…he's…returned?" Hinata nodded her head quickly, revealing her happiness in the blonde's return. Kiba hid his mixed emotions, opting for a smirk and a quick nod of his head. "…where is he? I want to go smack him for making us wait so long…" _And then ask him about this…_ Kiba glanced down at his palm quickly, hoping that Hinata didn't catch the momentary shift in his gaze. The Hyuuga giggled, inwardly hoping that Kiba would go back to his old self now that Naruto had returned. She knew it was a female instinct - that Naruto was the reason behind Akamaru's sudden shedding, Kiba's quietness…every small change she had witnessed in the teen since Naruto left.

"…I'm not sure, but he said you'd know where to find him…" Hinata gave Kiba a curious, yet understanding, look and Kiba couldn't help but blush slightly. _Either his apartment or the training grounds…_Kiba theorized as he nodded his head in comprehension.

"Ja ne, Hinata…" Kiba said softly, bringing his scarred hand up to rest on Hinata's shoulder. He gave her a small smile and squeeze that he hoped calmed her growing suspicions. Kiba started walking out of the room, catching Hinata's whispered comment as he started down the stairs.

"…Kiba…tell him how you feel…"

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Cursing softly to himself, Kiba threw all his energy into running down the empty streets. He hadn't realized how late it was until he had gotten outside and estimated he'd have another half hour before it was completely dark out. With that thought in mind, he had begun walking towards the training grounds - which he theorized as the more likely 'meeting place.' After the first few minutes of walking, Kiba realized he wouldn't make it there before dark and he had, in his haste to leave, left Akamaru behind. His night vision was slightly lacking when his dog wasn't around and, if Naruto felt the need to attack him for something, Kiba wanted to at least _see_ his attacker first.

He let chakra pump through his legs as he raced forwards, slightly surprising himself when he discovered how low his chakra reserves were. _My hand…healing it took almost all of my chakra…_Kiba realized before cursing his ignorance. He bit his lip as he forced himself to keep moving, despite the burning in his legs as he strained the muscles. It felt like he had been training with Shino, Hinata, and Kurenai for two days straight, but the Inuzuka knew he could deal with it as long as he could find the blonde idiot before it got dark out.

Within a few minutes, Kiba reached the outskirts of the training grounds where he had confronted Naruto - and was beaten very badly - two and a half years ago. He made it to that particular spot as the sun began setting over the Hokage monument, which silhouetted the blonde leaning against a tree on the other side of the clearing. _…it's…really him…_ He slowed to a walk as his heart _thumped _loudly when he saw the teen. He studied the blonde, the barest of smiles coming to his face when he saw how little Naruto had changed. He still wore his favorite, loud color, his hair was exactly the same, his face and body had aged just enough to remind the Inuzuka that he, too, had gotten older in the past two and a half years, and - as the boy looked up from the ground - Kiba could see that not even his eyes had changed. They were still that impossible blue, filled with the faked joy and humor that Naruto always displayed.

"…you're late…" Naruto stated calmly. Kiba chuckled, noticing that the boy's voice definitely dropped in the years he was absent. He took a few steps towards Naruto and waved in greetings as he inwardly prayed Naruto wasn't in a bad enough mood to attack him. Not only was he emotionally and mentally unprepared to counterattack, he was physically exhausted from the run here.

"…You're two and a half years late, baka," Kiba retorted softly as he continued walking towards the blonde, ignoring the burning sensation in his legs. Naruto pushed himself away from the tree and took a step towards Kiba, but didn't take any fighting stance, so Kiba inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Instead of attacking, Naruto simply chuckled at Kiba's comment.

"I left pretty abruptly, ne?" Kiba let out a snicker as he nodded his head. Naruto was exactly the same as he remembered him. "…what have you been up to? I hear Hinata's engaged to make-up boy…"

"…yeah…they were together even before you left…"

"…honto?" Naruto seemed slightly surprised at that. Kiba couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's reaction. He had been expecting the boy to be so different after training with the legendary Jiraiya for over two years, but Naruto really was his old self - minus the happy façade.

"…you think _you're_ surprised…you should have seen her father's reaction," Kiba commented, smirking in memory of all of Hiashi's outbursts. Despite all of his hissy fits, the icy bastard still finally gave in and agreed to his daughter's engagement.

"…what about you?" Naruto asked, his voice taking on a indicative tone. Kiba simply shrugged his shoulders as he thought about the boy's question. Nothing had really changed with him in all these years…he was the only one who really was the same person he was over two years ago. "No girl?"

"…I have Akamaru, that's more than enough responsibility," Kiba replied, unconsciously moving even closer to Naruto as he spoke. The Inuzuka didn't realize their close proximity until he was close enough to smell the blonde - and see the raw emotions hidden in his blue eyes. _Longing. Did…did he…miss…**me**?_ The thought itself made Kiba's heart skip a beat.

"…I-it's…" Naruto's tan skin took on a pink tinge as he tilted his head up slightly so he could look Kiba in the face. He couldn't help but inwardly curse all people _still _taller than him. Before Naruto got a chance to finish his mumbled statement, Kiba listened to his screaming instincts and moved even closer to Naruto, which got the blonde to back up, pinning him between Kiba and the tree. Taking a deep breath, Kiba wrapped one arm around Naruto and used the other to brace himself against the tree as he leaned forward to capture Naruto's slightly open lips in an innocent kiss.

Kiba's heart sped up as he moved his lips against the blonde's, feeling Naruto's body lean into his arm and the tree. Other than that, Naruto remained frozen so Kiba immediately assured himself that Naruto was disgusted and, otherwise, stunned by Kiba's brashness. He quickly pulled away from Naruto and kept his eyes locked on the ground as his face turned red in shame. _Shimatta…shouldn't have done that…I kissed Naruto…Kuso…but…I can't get my heart to stop beating so quickly…_Kiba thought to himself, then wondered if Naruto could hear the heavy thumping in his chest.

Unbeknownst to the Inuzuka, Naruto's thoughts mirrored his own. He stared at Kiba, a blush creeping onto his scarred cheeks. _…is…a kiss supposed to feel like that?_

**Baka, how should I know?**

_You've never kissed anyone?_

**…demons don't _kiss_.**

_Why did he kiss me?_

**Why are you asking me? He's standing right there…**

"…why…?" Naruto looked up at Kiba and noticed the teen was staring at the ground, a regretful expression on his tattooed face. Kiba turned his head to the side, hiding his face with his eternally disheveled hair. Naruto brought a hand up to Kiba's face and turned the teen's face so he could see his entire face.

"…I…I didn't mean…to force you…" Kiba said softly, raising his eyes until they met with Naruto's and the Inuzuka found himself entranced. Naruto let the barest of true smiles past his façade before he wrapped his arms around Kiba's neck and pulled himself up to press his lips against the Inuzuka's.

This kiss was nothing like Naruto's accidental kiss with Sasuke - it was warm, exciting, and _returned _as Kiba's arms wrapped around Naruto's thin waist and the brunette returned the gentle pressure. Naruto ignored the Kyuubi's snort, which had something to do with 'hormonal human males,' as he thought back on all his 'lessons' with Jiraiya. At one point, the old pervert had finally explained the 'kissing' part of a relationship and Naruto had pushed it to the back of his mind along with the rest of the 'scarring' material he had learned over the past couple of years. Thankfully, though, it wasn't one of the lessons that Naruto had erased from his mind completely because it was so damaging. He opened his mouth and gently licked Kiba's soft lips, tasting his salty skin. It kind of reminded the blonde of ramen. Perhaps that's why Naruto was immediately addicted to the dog-lover's skin, licking every inch of his lips until Kiba opened his mouth and returned the wet contact, his tongue tracing along Naruto's as they battled for dominance. Kiba finally won - because of his height advantage - as he pressed Naruto into the tree while simultaneously lifting the lighter shinobi up with his arm.

Naruto sighed into the kiss as his fingers wove themselves into Kiba's surprisingly soft hair. In all of his lessons with Jiraiya, the blonde never fully understood what was so attractive about this kind of thing - he though it would be disgusting to have someone licking you - but, when Kiba finally began returning the wet pressure, the boy discovered that the sensation was slightly odd, yet at the same time quite exhilarating. Naruto felt his heartbeat quicken in a way that even all of his training and dangerous battles paled in comparison.

Kiba thanked whatever gods existed for his Inuzuka instincts. Having never been kissed - or even thought about kissing someone - before, he would have been at a loss for what to do as Naruto tightened his grip in the brunette's hair, pulling his smaller body even closer to his. Because of his intuition, though, Kiba lifted Naruto higher in the air - so that the boy's feet no longer touched the ground - and kissed him with a passion the boy didn't even know he possessed until now.

Naruto inwardly squeaked when he felt Kiba pick him up like he was some feather, but couldn't help but like the feeling of being at eyelevel with the dog-lover. He sucked on the Inuzuka's tongue, forcing Kiba to move his face closer to Naruto's as the brunette's arm around his waist tightened. If it wasn't for the fact Naruto was already biting back moans of pleasure, the blonde was sure he would be (loudly) making a fool of himself. It made him wonder momentarily if all kisses felt like this; if they all gave this electrifying sensation that traveled through his entire body while at the same time making his stomach tighten and his breathing to speed up.

Kiba noticed a slight change in the blonde's kisses and pulled away as he curiously looked at Naruto. _…Kuso…no wonder Kankuro and Hinata are always making out…I never thought something like this…felt so…amazing…_Kiba thought to himself as he studied the blonde's flushed face. _Heh…I guess he liked it too…_

Naruto chuckled when he saw Kiba smirk proudly. "…not bad…how many times did you practice on Akamaru, Dog-breath?" he asked, surprising himself with how enervated he sounded. Kiba's tattooed cheeks changed to a bright crimson as he growled softly.

_Practice…I'll show you, baka…_Kiba thought to himself as he ravenously attacked the blonde's lips, making Naruto open his mouth, but not giving the boy enough time to do anything besides moan softly at this new urgency as his fingers tightened into fists in the brunette's hair. Kiba winced slightly at his hair being pulled so forcefully, but a small part of the teen liked the jolts of pain that ran though his head as he slid his sharpened teeth along Naruto's tongue and bottom lip.

The tightening in his middle began drifting downwards to a more intimate part of the blonde's body as Kiba became more dominating. It only took Naruto a moment to realize that this new feeling was what Jiraiya was always talking about in his stories - arousal. He blushed at the memory of all the stories he had 'accidentally' read in his adventures with the super pervert. Naruto remembered how they all ended and a small part of the stubborn teenager was slightly fearful of what may happen if he allowed Kiba to continue kissing him like this.

Kiba bit down hard on Naruto's lip, drawing a trickle of blood that he happily licked clean as the blonde gasped at the tremor of almost sinful pleasure that wracked his body from Kiba's actions. The brunette didn't see the glimmer of anxiety in Naruto's wide eyes as he pulled away from the boy's mouth, trailing more tender kisses along the teen's delicate jaw line, then down his thin neck. Naruto turned his head to give Kiba more access to the sensitive flesh above his jugular. The Inuzuka caught Naruto's small movement and happily bit down on that particular spot, licking the area apologetically when he heard the smaller teen whimper softly.

"…K-Kiba…" Naruto gasped as Kiba continued to suck gently on his neck. Having read all of Jiraiya's works (he was very bored in their travels), Naruto was quite certain that the Inuzuka's acts would leave a quite noticeable mark on his neck later. The teen heard Naruto call his name and slowly pulled himself away from the wet spot he was teasing with his tongue only moments ago. In the light of the setting sun, Kiba could see a pinkish spot already forming. Before he got a chance to chuckle at the mark, Naruto said something that sent shivers of wanton pleasure down the teen's body. "…don't stop…"

Kiba was more than pleased to comply as he went back to playing with that delightful spot on the teen's neck, finding that the harder he sucked and nibbled, the louder Naruto's moans and gasps became. Those soft vocalizations affected the boy's body more than he had anticipated. Within moments of starting his sucking, Kiba found himself unable to stop because of the addictive surges of pleasure that passed through his body with each sound that came out of the blonde's mouth.

Remembering a particular part of Icha Icha Violence, Naruto smirked as he began unhurriedly rocking his body against Kiba's. After a few seconds of his erotic proceedings, Kiba started to sway against him, his rhythm matching Naruto's perfectly. The blonde couldn't stop himself from chuckling proudly when he heard the Inuzuka's breathing and throbbing heartbeat speed up. Just that small bit of information made him start shaking at the realization he was the one who was influencing this change in the other teen. The last time Naruto had been this affected by someone else was that fateful day…

_Sasuke…_ Just saying his name in his head made a completely different spectrum of emotions wash through the blonde, erasing any of the previous lust and need that ensnared him. Naruto's entire body froze as a familiar coldness overtook him. It was the same bone-chilling sensation that Naruto thought he had overcome years ago when he lost the one person he thought he could sympathize with. The one person who actually made him feel _human._

Kiba immediately sensed the change in the blonde, but, before he could even look up and try to figure out what was wrong, Naruto pushed him away with enough force to throw the brunette several feet away. The Inuzuka's eyes widened as he slid backwards, unable to stop himself even though he was digging his feet into the ground. When he finally came to a stop, Kiba stared at the deep gouges he had created in the ground until his instincts began screaming for him to run as far and as fast as possible.

Instead of paying attention to his feelings, Kiba looked up at the smaller teen who had thrown him across the clearing and found himself entranced by those eyes. In no way could they even come close to being mistaken for human. They were the deepest crimson Kiba had ever seen. The color was a nauseating shade that could only be compared to fresh blood and even that was a pink in comparison. Not only were his irises the most captivating hue, but they seemed to glow, lighting the boy's scarred face in an ethereal shadow of scarlet. But it wasn't the color that took Kiba's ability to even breathe, it was those vertical slits for pupils. Those orbs forced Kiba to experience a fear unlike anything he had ever felt before.

The comprehension was the most frightening part of it for Kiba. He finally saw exactly what Akamaru had told him - that this blonde…this stubborn shinobi who always played pranks for attention…the dead last - the same person who Kiba always skipped classes with was actually the Kyuubi no Kitsune…a _demon_. There was no way Kiba could deny it now that he had seen those eyes. Those eyes that made his body shake in horror as he fought to look away, but found himself hypnotized by their wraithlike appearance.

Involuntarily, Kiba took a step towards the blonde, noticing how Naruto's gaze hardened as he came closer. _Beautiful…_Kiba couldn't help but admit to himself as he studied those eyes and the face that framed them. Despite the fact those mysterious scars seemed to grow in size, now stretching across the blonde's rounded cheeks in a menacing exhibition of disfigurement, Kiba had to confess that the idiot had never looked more amazing. He could see the barely contained power behind those red eyes and the sheer potential that no one ever believed Naruto to have.

With another step towards Naruto, Kiba caught a glimpse of sharpened canines that had begun jutting out of the boy's mouth as a deep growl erupted from Naruto's throat. Kiba had enough animal instinct to recognize that rumbling sound to be more than just an attempt at intimidation. Behind that noise was the promise of pain and, most likely, death if Kiba was to do anything else. His body unwillingly froze as that growl reverberated in his ears and Kiba examined Naruto's face for any indication of what he had done wrong. All it took was one glimpse at those once frightening eyes. Now that the initial fear and surprise had worn off, Kiba could clearly look into those scarlet orbs and see the betrayal and insurmountable pain that went with it. Even though he was known to be stupid at times, Kiba could immediately discern what exactly had made Naruto change so suddenly.

_Sasuke…he's still not over what happened…_Kiba thought to himself as he helplessly watched as Naruto stepped backwards, the space between their bodies increasing as a new emotion took over those demonic eyes. Fear. Kiba didn't even have to look into Naruto's eyes to understand that the blonde was terrified - he could smell it as plainly as the grass underneath them. Before Kiba got the chance to open his mouth and make some attempt at soothing the boy, Naruto spun around and bolted.

For a moment, Kiba actually thought about going after him, but as he took his first steps in Naruto's direction, his legs crumpled out from underneath him. Cursing himself for not remembering that he had depleted his chakra reserves earlier, Kiba laid down on the ground and ran his fingers through the short blades of grass. _Shimatta…I…Do I _like_ Naruto…?_ Kiba inwardly snickered. He knew he had liked the blonde as something more than a friend two years ago, but seeing him again tonight made those feelings only become more intense. Now, Kiba was trying his hardest not to even ask himself if he had fallen in love with the idiot because he was afraid he would have to answer truthfully.

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_Baka, baka, baka…WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU STOP ME?_

**…why should I? You looked like you were having so much fun…**

_…But…I don't like Kiba like that…I mean, he's…**Kiba**_…

**He didn't seem to mind changing your relationship status…**

_Because you were seducing him somehow!_

**You were doing the seducing, not me…and, take it from someone who's more experienced, there was mutual feelings there…that brat would have done the same to you if given the chance…that's why we need to stay far away from him from now on. You would have lost control if I hadn't taken over for a moment…we can't afford a relationship like that…**

_You're right…but I can't help…wanting to do that again…it felt nice…no one ever looked at me like that before…_

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Authoress: YOSH! Another chapter down/dances in glee/ I'm sorry, there wasn't even a lime this chapter…but…well, I don't want things progressing _too _fast in this story…/smiles/ you know, if they fuck too soon, it'll seem like there's no real plot and everything (I've done a few too many PWPs in my life…and this story shall be different!) So, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and please review because you all know that it'll make me write the next chapter so much faster!

LB: Aww, poor Naru-chan! He needs to get over himself soon!

Authoress: and, of course, I'd like to thank two of my beta readers for correcting this chapter for me...LB-chan and Tina-chan...you guys are amazing!...Sentai-chan would have also beta-ed this chapter...but couldn't save the story to her father's computer.../cries/ all us closet perverts know how that story goes...so, thank you everyone for reading (and hopefully reviewing) and I shall see you all next time...when we finally get some good action in this story! YOOOOOSH!


	5. Chapter Four

Authoress: I can't believe how lazy I've been lately…(I haven't updated in sooo long…gomeeeeen!)…so, now that I'm in the last few days of my winter intercession, I'll definitely be trying my hardest to get a few new chappies done! So, on to the fifth installment of Revealing a Kitsune!! I just want to say…thank you to everyone for reading this story and reviewing…//smiles// I'm so glad everyone likes the story (and that lil' kiss last chapter) so far!!…and there will be some good smut soon…maybe not this chapter or the next…but _soon_!!

Tina-chan: Tsunade is really awesome. It must be great for Kiba to have heightened senses… he can enjoy things better that way. -laughs-

Disclaimer: …WAAAAAH//locks herself in a closet and cries//returns a few hours later with a box of Kleenex and a perverted smirk//…if only…

**Chapter Four**

Tsunade fingered her sake cup idly as she stared off into space, her attention taken up by the realization _he_ was back. Of course, she couldn't help but be ecstatic when she had heard her two favorite men had finally returned. Even to the seemingly ageless woman, two and a half years was far too long. When Jiraiya and Naruto had left, she didn't imagine she would ever miss their annoying presences this much. It seemed to her as though at least once a day, she had been reminded of the child who was so much like her younger brother. Whether it was a group of children running past, giggling over some kind of prank they had played on poor Iruka, who was trailing behind him with the telltale vein popping out on his forehead, or even a glimpse of yellow, orange, or blue. It could just be the scent of ramen or a toad hopping across the training grounds. Even a clear summer day made Tsunade ache to see that loudmouthed, rude brat again.

Taking a deep breath, she focused her eyes on the empty sake bottle hidden amongst the forest of papers on her desk. In the past few years of being the Hokage, she had formed a deep respect for Sarutobi. How the man could have done this kind of work for so long…she would never know. Truthfully, Tsunade was counting down the days until she could pick a successor, then go back to gambling. The position of Hokage had its perks too, though. She had the one-in-a-lifetime chance to be the matchmaker to every single shinobi in her village. Of course, she didn't do too much to create these relationships. She just set up those coincidental meetings or team missions and had the authority to order her subordinates to do anything. Most of the time, she had a great deal of fun seeing how far her position could take her in concerns to Kakashi. At first, it was subtle hints that if he didn't put his porn away, he'd get kicked off A- or S- rank missions, then, when that didn't work, it was the threat of being demoted to a teacher's aide at the academy. That statement just got Kakashi to read his novels even more, which intrigued Tsunade, so she actually followed through on her warning and stuck the man with the strictest teacher she could think of; the only chuunin that wouldn't be intimidated by Kakashi's presence – Umino Iruka. Poor Iruka had come to her for the first few days, pleading with her to explain why he was being punished so, but had eventually given up on his attempts when Tsunade merely smiled happily at him and told him to go back to his classes and just ignore Kakashi – that it was a secret mission.

A few weeks after demoting Kakashi, the silver-haired jounin finally came to her and begged for his position back. Tsunade, being the _merciful _person she was, was about to agree to it (just to shut up that man's whining), but stopped herself when she noticed a red mark creeping out from underneath the jounin's infamous mask. After racing around the village four times (since Tsunade was never one for sprinting for her life, she had a bit of trouble catching the jounin), threats of castration and eventual death, and a few heavy raps on the man's head (when Tsunade finally caught up with Kakashi), she was able to pull the unconscious jounin's mask down.

She couldn't stop herself from squealing in glee when she saw the definite mark of a hand across Kakashi's cheek. Given her hightened female instincts, Tsunade knew immediately who would dare (and actually be able) to smack Kakashi… As soon as she was able to smack Kakashi awake (leaving similar marks across the man's entire face), she simply smiled knowingly at the jounin until he finally broke down and told her what happened.

Apparently, he had made the mistake of reading his Icha Icha novels in Iruka's class one too many times. Knowing Iruka, though, Tsunade doubted that his porn-reading was the only variable in the situation. Something had really pissed Iruka off and inwardly, Tsunade decided it had to have been a lover's quarrel. The two men bickered like a married couple already, so most people in the village had already guessed that there was something more than a forced friendship between the two.

It wasn't until months later (and a very big party where Kakashi got astonishingly drunk) that everyone in the village finally discovered the truth about the shinobi's questionable relationship. What had started out as Iruka, being his usual caring self, trying to lead a wobbling Kakashi back to his house to spend the night ended up in a shouting match between the two over Kakashi being an insensitive bastard who was only using Iruka for sex. Since Kakashi was quite beyond the point of comprehendable speech towards the end of their heated argument, Iruka had been the one to (unintentionally) inform the entire village of that little detail. Not that any of the Yaoi fanatics were going to complain about finally having their questions answered.

For weeks after that night, Iruka refused to leave his house except to teach his classes, after which he shot back home before any adults could even speak to him. Kakashi, of course, acted like nothing happened and, out of pity for the poor chuunin, Tsunade gave the jounin his position back and outright told Kakashi that he was never to go near Iruka again – unless the chuunin agreed to it. At first, Kakashi happily agreed to that condition, but within days, Tsunade could see how depressed the man was becoming. If she hadn't gotten to know Kakashi so well after becoming Hokage, she wouldn't have noticed the subtle changes. He read his novels less often, hardly ever spoke unless you forced an answer out of him, and otherwise moped about.

Seeing this unusual change in Kakashi gave Tsunade the idea of trying to patch things up between the men. First, she removed the restraining order on Kakashi and, being her impatient self, put both men on a two-man reconaissance team and shipped them off to Suna's southern borders. Of course, she informed Gaara on what had been going on and her devious plan to get the two back together and, surprisingly, the Kazekage had been quick to offer his aid. Oddly, the only reward he wanted in return for his help was a month vacation at one of Konoha's best onsen. Gaara never struck Tsunade as a hot springs type, but it didn't take her long to realize that, coincidentally, this particular onsen was bordering on the Hyuuga clan's property and it was rumored that a certain Branch Family member was quite fond of his baths.

Smiling to herself, Tsunade recalled how, when the two men finally returned from Suna, Kakashi was positively giddy and there seemed to be a few less worry lines on Iruka's tan face. No one ever asked what happened between the two while they were away, but ever since they returned, it was commonplace to see Kakashi gently holding Iruka's hand as they walked together or stooping down to kiss the younger man's cheek or forehead when he thought no one was looking. Though it couldn't be forgotten that Kakashi was still his perverted self. When Iruka least expected it, Kakashi's hand somehow drifted to the man's behind and squeezed or the jounin whispered something in Iruka's ear that got the teacher to turn all shades of scarlet before he, none too gently, smacked Kakashi.

Remembering the dinner she had forced Iruka and Kakashi to come to last week, Tsunade involuntarily began to blush. Kakashi had been rather…horny that night. Poor Iruka had to all but tie the man down to keep him from grabbing in all the wrong places throughout the _diplomatic_ dinner. If it had just been a casual meal among fellow shinobi, Tsunade probably would have been egging Kakashi on…but the majority of the Fire Country's nobles were a bit put off by the display. Iruka hadn't exactly been forgiving of his lover either. As far as Tsunade knew, Kakashi was still bunking with Asuma and Gai in their self-proclaimed 'Bachelor's Apartment.' If she hadn't been the one who snuck Kakashi those aphrodisiacs in his sake, she probably would have been feeling more sympathy for the jounin. Then again, he had that trick coming ever since he taught Sakura how to play dice…and that girl was amazingly good. Tsunade had yet to win back any of her money since Sakura figured out how easy it was to beat the Hokage. Sakura feined innocence, saying that all her (less than legal) earnings went towards her family, friends, and Lee. That boy was damn lucky his girlfriend didn't go to him for all her expensive shopping trips…he would have been as broke as Tsunade.

_Bang!_

Tsunade was ripped from the fond memory of possessing money when she heard her office's door fly open. Out of instinct (and years of annoying Shizune with her procrastination) Tsunade's head flew off of her desk and she quickly grabbed a pen, scribbling down the first thing that came to mind. _Kakashi…bastard…_ When she didn't hear her retainer's customary reprimand, Tsunade looked back up and, for a moment, her eyebrow raised in curiosity as a familiar white puppy walked backwards into the room, but her curiosity was shortlived when she saw that he was dragging his master across the floor. With years of experience, Tsunade was immediately able to sense what had happened.

"Kiba…depleting your chakra reserves to the point of passing out…" Tsunade's eyes narrowed. As much as a soft spot that boy had created in her heart, she wouldn't forgive him for being so careless. She slowly got up and circled her desk, watching as Akamaru gently let go of his master's jacket. The dog was obviously worried about something from the way he whined as he jumped up into a chair positioned in front of Tsunade's desk. She sighed, wishing for what seemed like the thousandth time that she had the ability to understand the puppy. It would have made Kiba's therapy sessions so much easier…

"Ugh…" Kiba groaned softly as he cracked open an eye and, as Tsunade leaned over his unmoving body, she noticed that his eye wouldn't focus on her. No, not on _her_, but on anything. It was as though the boy was still unconscious. Furrowing her eyebrows at this discovery, Tsunade knelt down and, with great difficulty, lifted the boy up into a sitting position. His body was as rigid as a board, which left Tsunade slightly dumbfounded. The only time she had ever seen symptoms like this were in severe cases of fear and panic…or the Mangekyou. Knowing for a fact that one of the Uchiha brothers couldn't possibly be the cause of this – neither one had been seen or heard from for almost three years and Tsunade very much doubted either brother would gain something by attacking Kiba.

"Arf!" Tsunade bit back a growl of exasperation when the puppy began frantically barking. From all the therapy sessions, she had begun to figure out what each bark meant – emotion- and importance-wise, not their actual meaning. From the tone, Tsunade guessed the white furball had a good idea of what happened to his master – and was terribly worried. If only she could understand him…

Akamaru, finally realizing that the Hokage wouldn't understand a word he said, jumped out of his plush chair and went to nuzzle his master's hand, licking the boy's palm when Kiba remained unresponsive. Tsunade, catching this odd action, took Kiba's slightly trembling hand away from Akamaru and studied it for any indication of what was wrong with the Inuzuka.

Tsunade was shocked with what she found on the teen's palm. Scars – more than any child his age should have, even considering he was a shinobi. The actual number wasn't what unsettled her so much. It was the red lines of chakra she could see even without focusing her attentions in order to see the boy's energy. It didn't take the woman more than a second to realize where the unusual energy that had already begun to upset her stomach had come from.

"The Kyuubi…but how?" Tsunade asked herself, but was surprised when Akamaru bit into her robes and gently tugged on the material. Looking down at the dog, she curiously watched as he pawed Kiba's kunai pouch. _Kunai? That wouldn't transfer the Kyuubi's chakra…especially not to such an extent that it's lingering in Kiba's body…_ Akamaru, noticing how Tsunade didn't understand what he wanted her to do, forced his snout into the holster and sniffed around for what he was looking for. Finding that sickening scent, Akamaru bit down on a warm piece of metal and gently pulled the blade out. As soon as he had revealed the entire kunai, he spit the thing out. He could still taste both his master's and Naruto's blood in his mouth even after Tsunade had picked up the metal object and studied it carefully for several minutes before she stated her findings. "…Naruto's blood did this to him? I can't see that happening. Naruto just returned…the blood on this kunai is years old…they didn't have a fight…and those scars are too old to have happened recently…"

Tsunade visibly winced when it finally came to her. "…he was cutting himself before he left…and Kiba was cut by the same blade…" All those times she saw Naruto unconsciously tugging at his obnoxiously-colored jacket sleeves in order to keep them from rolling up…when he refused to let her examine him on more than one occasion…that he never let anyone except Jiraiya around him when he was training…

_…Jiraiya acted the same way before we found out…how did I not notice it when I first met him?_ _I could have helped if I had only known…that pervert must have known all along…why didn't he ever tell me?_ Tsunade inwardly chuckled at that question. Not even when the Fourth had nearly succeeded in committing suicide the _first_ time did Jiraiya say anything. The pervert just sat back and said that it was the boy's decision whether or not he died. It had infuriated Tsunade at the time, but this time was different. If Naruto actually did try to kill himself…and somehow succeeded…the Kyuubi would be released and nothing Jiraiya could say would ever absolve his actions.

Tsunade looked down at the blade and bit back a sigh. Why was it that the saying "like father, like son" had to be so painfully true? She gently put the kunai down on the floor and lifted Kiba's head into her lap. If it was Naruto's chakra that put Kiba into this shock, then he would gradually come out of it soon, but a small part of Tsunade believed that there was something else affecting the boy.

For what seemed like an eternity, Tsunade simply rubbed Kiba's temples, leaking the smallest amount of healing energy into his body. She only stopped when the boy stirred again, this time opening both his eyes. She sighed in relief when his eyes immediately focused on her. That relief was short-lived, though, when Tsunade saw the fear in Kiba's slitted eyes.

Tsunade had seen a fear like this before. A panic where the person's entire body was frozen, though they were conscious and fully aware of what was going on around them; Kiba's body had yet to move except for the occassional tremors that ran through his arms and chest. Anyone who had ever looked into Orochimaru's eyes reacted exactly like this. Biting her lip, Tsunade decided on a course of action and, silently saying an apology to the boy, she slapped him as hard as she could – without fearing for the boy's very life.

The boy rolled over onto his side, holding his offended cheek, and sobbed softly from the pain that had knocked him out of this stupor. As soon as the cries died down, Tsunade had to cover her ears from the outburst.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, YOU OLD HAG!?"

"DON'T CALL ME A HAG, FLEA-BALL!!" Tsunade bellowed, tightening her hand into a fist as Kiba slowly got onto his feet. Her previous concern for the boy fled as soon as she saw the fingered gesture aimed at her. It took several deep breaths, and the cracking of her knuckles, for Tsunade to remember that the rude shinobi in front of her was only a child – and one she actually liked…most of the time. She couldn't kill him without some major repercussions.

"…arf?" Akamaru looked from his master to the Hokage in worry. It wasn't often their shouting matches ended so abruptly, so it was right for the puppy to be worried. Kiba, sighing loudly, pressed his claws against the forming bruise on his cheek, but didn't say anything else.

"…so, mind telling me what the hell you were doing? I know you know about the Kyuubi…so you better start explaining why you have scars on your hand coated in that chakra…and why you were dragged here by your puppy…"

"…the cuts were an experiment…it drained my chakra without me realizing it…" Kiba replied as he dropped to the floor and made himself comfortable on the hard wood. Akamaru drifted over to his owner's lap and curled up before going to sleep.

Tsunade eyed the boy for a moment, sensing that he wasn't telling the whole truth. "_And?_ Why were you in shock just now?" Her gaze travelled around the room as she thought things over. _Fear…from a murderous aura…I'm sure that's what did this to him…but…shimatta…it can't be…_ "…where's Naruto?" Tsunade's gaze snapped back to Kiba when he didn't respond. She was about to reprimand him, but froze in midthought when she saw the faint blush on the boy's cheeks. "…you didn't…_do_ anything with Naruto…did you?"

The statement made Kiba's cheeks blend in with the triangular tattoos on his face. Tsunade, if the situation had been between any other two people, would have laughed and congratulated the boys. No…they were the Kyuubi container and the sole male heir of the Inuzuka clan…something like this would mean certain disaster. Not that Kiba's family wasn't accepting of single-sex couples…his older sister and her girlfriend being a prime example of their tolerance. It was that Kiba was the only person to pass down their family's abilities – it was a gene that existed only in males of their family. From birth, Kiba was treasured because his family had long-before realized that he would be their last chance at surviving another few generations. Almost the entire clan had been wiped out in the last few wars, then the Kyuubi attack…the only ones left were the older family members, Kiba, his sister, and a few female cousins.

Naruto, on the other hand, would never be accepted by the village if he picked a lover – especially the Inuzuka heir. It would be just as much of an outrage if he had seduced Sasuke and killed Itachi in the same week… Not only would he be killing out one of the most important clans in Konohagure, but he was the container for the Kyuubi. No one knew how he would react in a relationship…or how it would change his lover. For years, the older people in Konoha dreaded the day Naruto would begin growing up and his hormones would take over. Of course, when his attentions were directed towards Sakura, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They thought the Haruno girl to be a level-headed, intelligent person who could never be taken over by anything the Kyuubi could offer her. People also knew that if her family was to die out, it wouldn't be completely terrible. She was a first generation shinobi who only had mediocre skills. She would have been far more suited for some kind of teaching job or something dealing with numbers.

What idiots those people were. Tsunade had originally believed the same thing about the girl, but when she finally agreed to let Sakura train under her, she got to know the girl. She found out that Sakura was never given enough credit. Where she lacked the famous abilities of the ancient clans, she made up with sheer determination and internal strength. She was, by far, the most intelligent female Tsunade had ever met, but she wasn't anything like Tsunade would have pictured the Sasuke-obsessed girl she was made out to be. As soon as the Uchiha left Konoha, the real Sakura appeared and she finally began standing up for herself and her own beliefs. Within a few months, she had become a person who everyone in the village could be proud of.

"I…he…I mean…" Tsunade snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Kiba mumbling softly to himself. She didn't even need to look up at the boy to know his face was turning a new shade of crimson as he tried to explain himself.

"…did you kiss him, or did he kiss you?" Tsunade asked, trying to keep a perverse tone out of her voice. Kiba didn't need to know that the village leader was a Yaoi fanatic - especially when he sounded like he was about to tell her the whole scandalous truth.

"…I…dunno…I kissed him?" Kiba said softly, bowing his head so his bangs were hiding his face. "I didn't think…he'd…that I'd…" Kiba went on stammering to himself. Tsunade, having become quite close to the boy in the past two and a half years, could guess what he was trying to say.

_So, they were getting aroused…I KNEW KIBA WAS GAY! _Tsunade inwardly danced. This meant she finally won that gamble against Shino and Neji. The quiet bug-boy was actually quite a gambler - of course, that could have just been because Tsunade had gotten him quite drunk on a few occasions. Neji, on the other hand, was always going off about 'fate this' and 'fate that.' It was no wonder he thought that he could never lose a gamble - he didn't believe in chance and he was quite sure of himself. Neji, like Shino, had always thought that Kiba had a thing for the Hyuuga heiress. When Kankuro came into the picture, however, the two teens had sat down to weigh out their options. Apparently, they didn't believe Kiba was gay - despite the fact the young, and highly desirable Inuzuka heir, never had a girlfriend (or a crush for that matter). All it had taken was one party (and a few bottles of sake between the three of them) to start arguing about Kiba's sexuality.

Kiba never knew about the bet - he would have probably harmed his best friends if he knew that they were putting money on the belief he would one day find the 'right girl.' Tsunade covered the smile on her face as she figured out how much she had actually won. _…that's enough to pay off all the gambling debts I've ever made…sugoi…I love having a rich Hyuuga losing a bet! _Of course, her winnings weren't only from the two boys. Once the jounin community heard about her new bet, everyone got into the betting pool. It just filtered down to the chuunin from there and, in the matter of a few weeks, almost every shinobi had put their bets in. Tsunade, along with a few of her fellow die-hard Yaoi fans, was the only one who thought Kiba was drifting towards males.

"Tsunade-sama…is…it normal…to feel like _that_…?" Kiba asked quietly, his voice filled with curiosity. The closet pervert smirked to herself as she mentally thought of all of Jiraiya's works that might help the boy. She nodded her head to Kiba's question, noticing the fading blush on Kiba's cheeks. "I…I'm glad…he's back…"

Tsunade forced herself to not react to the barely contained despair that she could hear in the boy's voice. _Of course, he knows that Naruto is almost always faking his emotions…he's one of the few people who has actually gotten to know the _true_ Naruto…_Tsunade thought to herself, smiling forlornly at the young man. "You better get home, Kiba…you don't want your family worrying about you again…"

"Un…" Kiba slowly got up and started walking towards the door. As he reached the exit, he turned back and a grin came to his face. "Arigatou, Tsunade-sama…."

Tsunade watched as the boy flew out of the room. She sat back, not needing to focus on the boy's telltale chakra to know he wasn't going home - not just yet, at least. She smiled to herself, knowing that Naruto's old apartment was in the direction Kiba had taken.

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Naruto sat back on the rooftop, glancing up at the clear sky for a moment. _They didn't sell my apartment…_He was surprised when he had finally found Iruka, who had handed over a set of very familiar keys without so much as a question. The only thing the tan chuunin did was beam happily as he fussed over Naruto, commenting on how much he had grown and other parent-like statements. For a moment, Naruto had almost smiled at the older man's worry. No one had taken care of him like Iruka did - not even Kyuubi, for all the demon's depressing thoughts, could speak badly about the man. If Naruto didn't know any better, he'd think that the kitsune respected Iruka, along with the perverted jounin who had all but flung himself on Naruto the second he caught a glimpse of the blonde. Of course, Naruto and the Kyuubi agreed that Kakashi's reasoning behind such a joyous welcome must have been that he heard Jiraiya had written a few new novels that had yet to be published.

**You best sleep, kit…**

Naruto smiled slightly at the concern he could hear in the demon's tone. Over the past two and a half years, the Kyuubi had actually started talking to him as though they were equals. The blonde had initially been suspicious as to why the demon was getting worked up over little things, like his (now) well-developed insomnia. After years of listening to the demon, though, Naruto realized that it was just the fox's way of apologizing for everything. In a relatively short time, the blonde had been forced to leave his home, his so-called "friends," everything and everyone he ever knew, lost the last little shreds of humanity that the boy had clung to for so long… The Naruto everyone had _missed_ was gone, replaced by a teen who only resembled the blonde they knew.

Kyuubi would never admit it to anyone, but she slightly missed the old Naruto; the one who always disagreed with her dismal view of the world, who tried to point out the positive aspects of their present situation, who could actually try smiling just because it made someone else happy…now he hardly ever argued with her when she made side comments about how everyone was against him. It had been over a year since she had last seen the boy, truthfully, laugh.

**Baka…** the Kyuubi thought to herself, knowing that her container could only hear her if she permitted it. She sighed slightly, looking at the clear sky through the blonde's eyes. Today was the first time in a long time that Naruto had lost control of that icy mask he created to cover up the pain he still felt. Just because of one snobbish Uchiha, her container had become something akin to a puppet - just making the motions of what everyone considered living. Naruto never wanted to do something that he had always enjoyed as a child, he never joked with Jiraiya beyond what was expected from a bouncy teen like himself - Naruto only did what was completely necessary to survival. She sighed as she looked around her dark cage. For a moment, when she saw that dog-loving shinobi, there had been something different about her surroundings. They had become brighter, less intimidating…like they used to be when her container was just a baby.

**Maybe he can help…** Naruto raised an eyebrow as he felt the Kyuubi's widening grin, wondering what she had been thinking about for the past few minutes. When she smiled, the boy knew no good could come from it.

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Kiba closed his eyes as he jumped off of the rooftop, landing silently on the tree branch. _I should have waited for Akamaru…_Kiba thought to himself, almost immediately shaking his head. _He would have just tried to stop me again…_ The Inuzuka let the smallest of smirks come to his face as he opened his eyes again and studied the one, open window he could never forget. Taking a deep breath, Kiba jumped from the tree branch to the windowsill. Kiba had to crouch down low in order to fit his frame through the window, but he froze when he noticed that he wasn't the first to get to the apartment. For a moment, he remained completely still, watching the blonde turn over underneath his blankets.

_Kawaii…_Kiba couldn't help but think as he watched Naruto unconsciously pull the blankets up to his chin. The boy looked so different sleeping - more peaceful. Kiba pulled his legs out from underneath himself so he could sit on the windowsill as he studied the slumbering blonde.

Kiba bit his lip, trying to remember what exactly he had come here for. It wasn't to watch Naruto sleep, that was for sure. A small, perverse side of the teen reminded him of those amazing sensations that Naruto had awoken in him. That same side didn't mind if something like that happened again. Of course, the more rational side of the teen knew that that was impossible - not only was Naruto happily sleeping, but Kiba wasn't so sure he was ready to accept what that kind of relationship meant.

"Ki…ba…" Kiba nearly fell off the windowsill when he heard Naruto say his name. He studied the blonde in the dim moonlight, sighing in relief when he saw the boy was still asleep - or so he hoped. He had to admit that it would be kind of creepy to wake up and find someone hanging over you, watching you sleep. Realizing that, Kiba started to slide off of the windowsill and, praying that his years of training would help him, Kiba leapt over the small bed, landing silently on the other side. Taking a few quiet steps, Kiba moved so that he was a little further away from the teen's bed - if Naruto woke up, Kiba really didn't want to be the one to startle him with his stalker-like vigil.

_…what the hell am I doing here?_ Kiba wondered to himself as he quietly walked into the kitchen side of the tiny apartment, taking a seat at the table. He looked down at the tabletop, trying to think of a reason he had snuck into Naruto's home. It wasn't actually breaking in, since the window was open and Naruto was here, but that fact didn't make Kiba feel any less like a burglar. Actually, the teen felt like he was doing something scandalous. Then again, it isn't often that he decided to slip into someone else's house to watch them sleep.

"If you're going to come visit, mind waking me up first?" Kiba, literally, fell out of his chair when he heard that voice coming from the other side of the room. The chair fell onto its back with a loud _bang. _The teen winced at the loud sound the chair made, hoping that he didn't wake anyone else up.From his new position on the floor, Kiba looked up and an embarrassed smile came to his face. Naruto glared at him for a moment before getting out of his bed, shuffling to the kitchen.

Kiba almost immediately noticed that the teen wasn't wearing anything but a pair of pajama pants. He didn't realize it until he saw the blush on Naruto's cheeks, but he was outright staring at that perfectly sculpted chest and the blonde's well-defined arms and abdomen. Not to mention Naruto had filled out quite a bit in the past few years. His shoulders had broadened, but he still had small hips, which gave the teen a figure Kiba knew most people would kill for. Not only that, but the perverse side of the teen realized that Naruto's pajamas were _quite_ tight, giving the Inuzuka a good view of his muscular legs and behind - Kiba forced himself not to stare at Naruto's crotch _too _long - even though it was a groin even a sex-god would be envious of.

"…what are you doing here?" Naruto asked, trying to keep his tone cold and emotionless, but he failed in intimidating Kiba when he yawned almost as soon as he spoke. Kiba tore his eyes off that beautiful body as Naruto stretched his arms upwards, the muscles in his sides and stomach rippling as he stretched backwards slightly.

"…lickable…" Kiba mumbled to himself - if he wasn't already sitting on the floor, he was sure he would have put himself there with that involuntary comment. His face warmed up as he watched Naruto stand back up, cracking his neck as he waited for Kiba to answer. Obviously he hadn't heard the teen's slip or, if he did, he was ignoring it. "Um…I dunno…" Kiba said, trying to keep his eyes from wandering back to that sun-kissed skin. Of course, when he saw Naruto shiver slightly out of the corner of his eye, Kiba couldn't help but return to his staring. Now that Naruto was closer to him, Kiba could see the pale blonde hair trailing down the teen's abdomen, dipping down underneath those pajamas.

"…about…earlier…" Naruto said softly, taking a few steps towards Kiba. The Inuzuka felt a shiver trail down his spine when he heard the teen's voice. There was something dangerously seductive in Naruto's tone. It was either that or the fact Naruto was now kneeling down to look at Kiba in the eyes, his blue eyes filled with questions…and something Kiba couldn't place, but knew he should recognize. "…I-" Before Naruto got a chance to continue with his statement, Kiba leaned forwards and caught the teen's opened mouth in a kiss.

Kiba, noticing that Naruto didn't pull away, brought one hand up to the teen's neck and pulled Naruto's face closer to him as he dipped his tongue into the blonde's open mouth. He tasted even better than Kiba remembered. Kiba wrapped his other arm around Naruto's waist, pulling the half-naked teen even closer to him. Naruto obviously wasn't expecting to be pulled closer and lost his balance, falling into Kiba. The two teens fell to the kitchen floor, their lips never separating. Kiba winced momentarily when his head slammed into the hard floor, but the pain was almost instantly forgotten when his mind wrapped around the situation he put himself into. Naruto had somehow come to be straddling his hips, his upper body splayed across Kiba's, and his hands on either side of Kiba's head in a failed attempt to save himself from falling on top of the other teen.

Kiba gently sucked on Naruto's tongue, a shiver trailing down his body when he heard the blonde moan appreciatively. Kiba found that kissing the blonde was more than addictive - it was impossible to stop once Naruto started returning the wet caresses, his fingers weaving into Kiba's hair.

Letting his venturous hand drop down to that beautiful behind, Kiba smirked when Naruto jumped, breaking their heated kiss as he sat up. The blonde looked down at Kiba, his bangs hiding his eyes, but Kiba could clearly see the pink on his cheeks. His smirk grew as he tightened his hold on Naruto's posterior.

"…is this…what you came…for?" Naruto asked between pants. Kiba took a few breaths, hoping to steady his voice, but failed in trying to return his breathing to normal. He was positive his new breathing rhythm had something to do with the fact Naruto was putting a great deal of pressure on his warming groin.

"…maybe…" Kiba said quietly, his eyes searching Naruto's face for some kind of response. If it wasn't for the fact the blonde was sitting on him, Kiba would have glomped him when he saw that small, true smile on Naruto's face.

"Hentai…"

"You're the one straddling me…" Kiba pointed out, chuckling at the new display of crimson that his comment brought to Naruto's cheeks. The blonde looked down, as though he didn't realize their positions before. From the reddening of his entire face, obviously Naruto hadn't noticed it earlier.

"Y…you can…stay if…if you want…" Naruto whispered softly. If it wasn't for his dog-like hearing, Kiba wouldn't have caught the offer. For a moment, Kiba lost the ability to breathe. _…stay…does he mean…he wants to…?!_ The little pervert in Kiba danced victoriously as images of all sorts filtered into Kiba's mind, making the teen's face turn a red to match Naruto's.

"I-I should be getting home…Akamaru…he's probably worrying about me…" Kiba forced himself to say as he started to sit up. The teen knew that he wasn't ready for something like that, especially since he wasn't sure exactly what Naruto felt for him. Naruto slid off of his lap, not making any comment about Kiba's decision, only bowing his head so that Kiba couldn't see his face. Taking a deep breath, Kiba leaned in towards Naruto and pecked the blonde's cheek. "…come to the training grounds tomorrow morning…I want to see how much you've improved, Naruto." Kiba was so close to Naruto that he could feel the shiver ripple through the blonde's body. He couldn't remember a single time before that he had actually called the boy by his name. It probably didn't help that Naruto (having spent the past two and a half years with a romance novelist) was getting a great deal of perverse images from Kiba's comment. "Oyasumi…"

Kiba slowly stood up and started to walk back towards the window. He froze, however, when he heard Naruto's comment, "I'll beat you, Kiba…" _Alright…I understand…_Kiba had to admit that hearing his name roll off of Naruto's tongue was…indescribable. It didn't help that Naruto's tone was more than just seductive - it was downright arousing. _Why hasn't he caught his breath yet?!_ Kiba turned slightly and smirked at the blonde, knowing that he'd definitely give Naruto a challenge tomorrow. If not, he'd use all the dirty tricks he could think of. Not even Naruto would be able to defend himself against stolen kisses and touches. Kiba, not sure how strong his own willpower was when looking at the panting blonde kneeling on the floor, shot out of the window and started running toward home. Even blocks away, he could hear the blonde's loud voice echoing through the empty village streets. "…and next time, wake me up when you get here!"

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Authoress:…so, how was that chapter?!…//drools slightly over the images she gave herself//…ooh…I can't wait for their little fight…//smirks perversely//…again, gomen…I didn't mean to take so long in updating!!!!…so, of course, please review (I'd like to see at least 175 or so reviews before I get my lazy behind into action and write a new chapter!) and I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter…even though it was kind of pointless and short…well, not _pointless_…SMUT IS NEVER POINTLESS!!!…aaaaanyways…just to let everyone know…this is the beta-ed version of the chapter (I had an unbeta-ed version up for a while because of the demand for this chapter...I feel so special!)...so, until next chapter…thanks for reading and reviewing//cries// you guys are sooooo nice in your reviews…I'm so glad I turned people onto this pairing…O.o I kind of turned myself into a Naruto/Kiba lover myself with this story…YOOOOSH!!!…and, of course, for those of you reading this long rant…//smiles// I am finally eighteen (Januwary 20th was my birthday!!!)…so I'll be putting up a special chapter (and by "special," I mean major lemon-age!!!) to one of my stories…as a birthday present to myself…I'M DON'T NEED MY OLDER SISTER TO BUY MY R-RATED YAOI ANYMORE //cries happily// and I can go to Yaoi-con now…JOYOUS DAYS!!!


	6. Chapter Five

Authoress: Woah…I can't believe how long it's taken me to finally get my butt into action and write the next chapter to Revealing A Kitsune…//faints//…but I've been doing final exams and such for all of my college classes a couple weeks ago…or else I would have had a new one up a while back (I've been writing this chapter out by hand during my little amount of free time for about a month…and I must say…this story is definitely going to take a turn no one expected…). I just wanna say…thank you everyone for your amazing reviews to last chapter…lickable…//smiles perversely//…that is quite a hot thing for Kiba to say…anyways…onto the next chapter of Revealing a Kistune!!

Disclaimer:…wah! I don't own Naruto…I wish I did, though…it'd be wonderful…//drools at all the mental images she's giving herself//

**Chapter Five**

Kiba quietly slipped out of his bedroom, glancing back to make sure Akamaru was still asleep. The white puppy rolled over in his sleep, revealing his pale tummy. If it wasn't for the fact he had already promised to meet Naruto this morning, he would have gone back into his room and woken the dog up in the rudest of ways – it was to get back for all the times Akamaru woke him up by licking his face. To be woken up from a _very_ good dream by a dog slobbering all over your face wasn't exactly the best way to greet the morning.

Kiba ignored the little voice in the back of his head that cried to get back at Akamaru, and, instead, he closed the door and started tiptoeing down the hallway. The few dogs who were already up just gave the heir curious glances, but they had gotten used to the teen waking up very early in the morning to go out to train or meet with their Hokage. Kiba nodded in a silent greeting to one of the largest Inuzuka dogs – his father's oldest and most beloved canine – and the large creature only gave a huff in reply before walking alongside the young man. Haiiro had a soft spot for his master's only son, but in recent years had fewer and fewer opportunities to silently walk with Kiba because of his own son's attachment to the heir.

The first time Kiba discovered Akamaru was fathered by Haiiro was a surprise since the two canines had nothing in common. Whereas Haiiro was a massive creature with a long, shaggy coat of almost black fur, his only living offspring was a tiny thing that was the palest beige, a color that was unique to Akamaru. Even the puppy's mother was a dark shade of grey. Not only did Akamaru not resemble his own parents, but the two males never got along very well. Everyone in the clan passed it up to the two dogs' stubborn personalities – neither one wanted to admit defeat to the other, so they were constantly fighting over the smallest of things.

Haiiro sighed softly as he looked up at the heir, remembering when he used to be able to rest his snout on the boy's head, which had always gotten Kiba to giggle before the tiny child climbed up on his back, demanding the old dog run around their home as fast as he could. Haiiro never admitted it to anyone but his own master, but he missed all those romps with the heir sitting on his back, squealing happily as they raced around the mansion. Despite all the bald patches the boy's strong grip created, he would give anything to have just one more romp. If only he could have that bouncy child back.

"What are you doing up so early, Kiba-sama?" Haiiro asked, his voice wavering from the energy it took to speak. No one spoke of it, but everyone knew that the old dog could die any day now. The only thing that kept him from accepting everyone's diagnosis and stop fighting the chronic fatigue that was becoming all too normal was the young man walking next to him. Haiiro wanted to live long enough to see the heir continue the dwindling family line before he admitted his own mortality.

"Training. Naruto and I wanted to see how much we've improved over the past few years…" Kiba replied, knowing that the large creature already knew that – he only asked because he wanted to end the silence between them. Haiiro was the most perceptive of the canines – even if Kiba hadn't been wearing his training gear, the old dog would have been able to guess where he was going simply from his scent.

"Aah…I do not wish to tell you what to do, Kiba-sama, but the clan is worried about you. You are spending too much time alone…you should take my son with you more often, even if you are going to see the Hokage," Haiiro commented, ignoring the pain running up his legs as he walked next to the young man. He wasn't used to walking for such a distance without resting, but he wasn't going to tell the heir. It would have only made Kiba worry more and no one in the clan wanted to do that. The boy had far too much to deal with already. "Your father and I agree that you might want to take another puppy…you need something to take your mind off whatever it is that's disturbing you…"

"Haiiro-san, I'm fine. Akamaru stopped shedding…and I've been feeling much better lately," Kiba said softly, not wanting to hint at his idea that Naruto's return had been the cause of such changes. No one would accept Naruto into their family – he would be the reason the clan died out…the reason their heir had been ill the past few years. No, Kiba couldn't let Haiiro know.

Haiiro sniffed the air softly, picking up a whiff of a particular blonde who had recently returned. All the Inuzuka canines could smell the scent of another teen on their heir, but the group of dogs swore to never speak of it to their masters. To do so would go against the oaths they swore to the family – they all promised to protect the clan, especially the heirs, from everything. If that meant ignoring Kiba's romps with a certain blond boy, then that was their secret with the heir. Of course, if it began to interfere with the future of the clan, they would have to tell someone. Haiiro noticed the boy's slight discomfort, so he changed the subject to something Kiba would be more open to discussing. "Uzumaki…Naruto? From what I've heard, you will have quite a struggle to beat him, Kiba-sama. Why aren't you taking Akamaru with you? You two are supposed to work as one, complementing each other's abilities. It seems that the Hyuuga heiress is closer to your canine than you are…" Haiiro stated, noticing the smirk that came to Kiba's face. Haiiro enjoyed the young woman's company just as much as the heir's, but for completely different reasons. When with Kiba, he could recount all the times he baby sat the boy – when he was well enough to do so. Not just that, but Kiba now was able to challenge him on a mental level that very few ever could. Hinata, on the other hand, always pet him, somehow knowing exactly where and when to scratch to ease his suffering. Sometimes Haiiro wondered if she understood the Inuzuka canines more than she let on. He inwardly shook his head. The only people who could understand them were those born to the clan and, in some cases, their mates. He knew Hinata used her healing abilities to help him, but there was something else about the girl's awareness that had nothing to do with her chakra.

"You almost sound jealous, Haiiro-san. Kankuro might not be too happy to know that you have a thing for his fiancé," Kiba retorted, chuckling at the dog's immediate snort. "Akamaru likes to be around Hinata. She has a calming effect on him…on all of us. Anyways, I want to beat Naruto with my abilities…it isn't fair if I have help and he doesn't…"

"But he does have help, Kiba-sama…far more than Akamaru could give you…" Haiiro pointed out, knowing that the heir knew about the Kyuubi already. Akamaru had mentioned it to one of the other Inuzuka dogs and the boy's knowledge soon became known to all of them. They couldn't keep secrets from each other, no matter how hard they tried.

"I want to prove myself to him…not the Kyuubi…Naruto's a great shinobi even without demonic chakra. I seem to be the only one who sees that part of him," Kiba said softly, glancing down at Haiiro. Akamaru, Tsunade…even people like Sakura and Kakashi always linked Naruto's abilities to the Kyuubi. No one else could differentiate the two. Since he learned about the Kyuubi, Kiba recounted all the times he saw people interact with Naruto. He remembered how they looked at Naruto in disgust…how they spoke about him with that tinge of fear in their voices – as though the mere mention of his name would bring the Kyuubi back.

"He got that from his family," Haiiro replied, noticing Kiba's barely contained surprise. He ignored the boy's curiosity – the blonde's parentage wasn't to be spoken of, no matter how much the younger generations pressed them. "It is a pity they died before the boy could remember them."

Kiba knew better than to ask Haiiro directly about Naruto's parents. Over the years, he had heard so little about the blonde's family, he knew there was some reason for it. It was information that the older generations had been keeping a secret for a good reason – much like the fact Naruto contained the Kyuubi. "I have to get going, Haiiro-san. I need to get to the training grounds to warm up…" Kiba knelt down low enough to rake his fingers along the dog's back, trying not to wince as he felt the once muscular, handsome canine's spine and ribs, covered by loose skin and brittle fur.

"Don't overexert yourself, Kiba-sama, we have a dinner tonight with that clan from Suna. Your parents seem hopeful about this one," Haiiro said softly, licking Kiba's hand as the boy stood back up. He chuckled when he saw Kiba's slight pout. Everyone knew how much the heir despised the matchmaking events the clan kept scheduling, but they had no other choice. Kiba had no choices for a bride in their own village, so his father had been looking to other villages. Of course, his father had to call in a few favors with the Hyuuga clan. Hiashi, who could make Kankuro do anything he wished (and knew it), made his future son-in-law get Gaara to bring a high-ranking family (that had an unmarried daughter) every time he visited. Hiashi didn't know it, but he could have skipped the Puppet Master and directly asked Gaara. Kiba chuckled inwardly as he imagined how Hiashi would react when he found out his nephew and the Kazekage were an item. He knew that Hiashi would be struck dumb – probably imagining how that would further his family's power…having two of his three "children" being tied to the ruling family in Suna. The only thing that probably would make Hiashi giddier would have been to marry Neji off to Temari and Hanabi to Gaara. Kiba wasn't too sure how the prick saw same-sex relationships, but he guessed Hiashi would be, as usual, a pain in the ass about it.

Kiba sighed to himself as he went back to worrying over his own predicament. Everyone was hoping Kiba would find a bride soon, preferably before Hinata and Kankuro were wed so it could be a double wedding – such an event would be unforgettable…and would bind their villages closer than anyone could have hoped for. Another thing Hiashi probably would gloat over for some time. Kiba couldn't help but dislike the man, but, then again, he respected the man for finally starting to be humane towards his daughter and nephew.

Of course, nothing could stop the Inuzuka from disliking Hiashi for setting up all the meetings between the Inuzuka clan and a family from Suna. Kiba had already dealt with a few of these such "dinners," only to ruin the night by offending the young lady in some way or another – the majority of the women in Suna weren't shinobi, so Kiba didn't know what to say to the beautiful girls, or in some cases women. He, most of the time, had no idea what he said to make the girls smack him and say he was a barbarian before running off to their fathers to whine about going home. Truthfully, Gaara had very few choices left – as did the Inuzuka family. Kiba had refused all acceptable women in Konoha and there were only a few more clans left in Suna and all of their daughters were still in diapers…

Kiba inwardly cursed, knowing that he couldn't get out of the arranged marriage no matter how hard he tried. He knew that he should consider himself lucky that his parents cared enough to find a woman he could stand – perhaps even love – before making their decision. He didn't feel lucky, though. Everyone else in the village found someone they cared for deeply – whether or not they were the same gender or class didn't matter to their families. No other ancient clan was in danger of dying out but the years of war, along with the infamous trait of the Inuzuka clan – they would die before surrendering or retreating – left very few alive and those who hadn't died valiantly were too old or injured too badly to ever have children. Kiba inwardly sighed, wishing that his sister had been born male. She was never considered the heiress, since the Inuzuka family was always led by a male – not because of some sexist ideals, but because Inuzuka women (especially when pregnant) were, well, not exactly pleasant to be around. They were just as ready to hug you as to kill you and very few ever trusted people outside the family, so very few were able to be diplomats – one of the duties of the older clans. The small fact that only Inuzuka men could pass down their family's abilities wasn't even considered in picking an heir. Kiba just happened to be the first (and only) son of the current leader – automatically making him the heir. The small detail that he was the last surviving male (who was able to have children) only made him more valuable to his family.

Kiba tried to think of a way out of tonight's dinner, but nothing came to mind as he quickly bid Haiiro a quick good-bye before racing off towards the training grounds. The entire sprint there was a blur as he went over his plans to leave the dinner early so that he wouldn't have to deal with another uncomfortable night. All of the girls Gaara brought with him were beautiful, smart, and otherwise perfect – but they didn't have that spark that interested Kiba. They knew nothing about the shinobi community, let alone the current or past wars. Kiba didn't even want to think of what happened at the last dinner…which mortified his family. The young woman was perfect in almost every sense – she even knew quite a bit of history and was able to talk to Kiba's father about all of the man's famous battles (which stroked his father's ego to no ends) – but as soon as she was introduced to Akamaru and the rest of the Inuzuka canines, she was, well, quick to leave. _Maybe she was afraid by their barking and growling._ Kiba thought to himself, trying not to remember the puppies that had gone as far as to attack the girl. It was not exactly what his family had been expecting from their well-trained dogs, but the canines were taught to protect their family no matter what. Akamaru explained to Kiba that they didn't trust the girl or her family. Kiba knew that that wasn't the real reason; the dogs simply didn't like her and pushed the puppies into attacking her – but the polite dogs would never admit it, not even to their masters or the heir. He had thanked Haiiro after the dinner's awkward end, noticing the barest of smirks the dog gave him in return, which proved his suspicions.

Gaara was laughing as soon as she and her family ran out of there. He actually complimented the dogs. _He really has some kind of connection with them. Akamaru loves him – why, I'll never know – and he somehow has won them over. Maybe Hinata had something to do with that…_Kiba wondered to himself, slowing down to a walk as he stepped foot into the quiet training grounds.

It was still dark out, so he wasn't surprised when he glanced around and could sense no one in the area. He quickly cleared his mind as he went into his morning stretches. Within minutes, he felt limber enough to do some warm-ups, which he breezed through without giving them so much as a thought. To anyone watching the heir, they would think that he had practiced every graceful movement in the sequence to the point of perfection. Those who knew Kiba well knew better. It wasn't just these simple moves, but everything Kiba knew about fighting was in the process of being perfected. Over the past two and a half years, he had practiced daily both by himself and with his friends, trying to hone his own abilities and senses beyond what was expected of an Inuzuka. He had trained with Gai and Lee for strength and endurance, with Neji for awareness of his surroundings, with Sakura for judgment of projectiles, memorization of jutsu, and a host of seemingly useless information, with Hinata for meditation and the body and its chakra paths, and with Shikamaru for strategy. While he was nowhere near as good as those particular shinobi in their particular fields, he had been able to best them at times with his mixture of knowledge, along with his own inborn abilities.

Kiba took a deep breath as he landed a series of graceful punches and kicks to an invisible opponent, only breathing enough to keep himself from passing out. He had learned from his two favorite kunoichi that any further breathing can actually slow the body down as your brain had to give energy over to breathing as well as separating and transporting the oxygen and exhaling. Over the past two years, he had been under their scrutinizing medical eyes as he made his body as efficient as possible. Sometimes, his training resulted in trips to see Tsunade, but for the most part, it paid off. He could use his own chakra to heal the majority of muscle fatigue, atrophy due to his near absent breathing, and a host of other injuries he inflicted on himself in order to improve his abilities. The two girls never taught him a way to store chakra – which could have come in handy when he tried to best Naruto and passed out because of his lack of chakra. He knew it was possible, but was warned by his two female friends that it was too dangerous to attempt by anyone, let alone a teen.

Kiba sighed to himself as he finished the set and started into another one, keeping his eyes closed, which heightened his other senses to the point he could smell the breakfasts being cooked in the restaurants on the opposite end of the village. Kiba momentarily opened his eyes, wondering what time it was. He was slightly surprised to see that the sun had already risen and, from his position, he guessed it to be around ten in the morning. I wonder if Naruto's going to come… Kiba thought to himself as he continued the fluid motions, forcing himself not to go back into that meditative state where he lost all track of time.

-

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-

_So, what are we doing again?_

**Baka…we're studying our opponent…**

_I'm not an idiot…I just don't see a point to watching Kiba practice…_

Naruto ignored the Kyuubi as she went on the familiar rant about "knowing your enemy." He sighed, shifting his position in the tree as the Inuzuka finished one sequence, only to immediately start another. He wouldn't admit it to the Kyuubi (for fear of being mocked), but he was impressed by Kiba's abilities. The boy was confident – strong – in his movements, his attacks subtle and few in number, but Naruto had no problem imaging what those few, well-calculated moves could do to an unsuspecting opponent. It wouldn't be a stretch to say Kiba could easily kill.

Naruto bit his lip, watching as the teen's body moved with a grace that he hadn't known Kiba could ever possess. His style was unique – it seemed to be a mixture of everything he had ever seen, but there was something added to it…something Naruto knew to be inimitably Kiba. The boisterous, undisciplined boy Naruto once knew was gone, replaced by a true shinobi - a teen worthy of his rank and clan. What had surprised Naruto most of all – besides being woken up from his catnap by Kiba's sudden appearance in the otherwise vacant training grounds – was that he didn't have his puppy with him.

Naruto watched in amazement as Kiba, while still keeping his eyes closed, was able to judge his surroundings so well that he never tripped on the uneven ground – he had yet to kick up a single piece of gravel or bit of dirt as his movements began to speed up. The blonde studied Kiba's face, noticing that there was no emotion showing as the teen switched to a different style, one Naruto remembered a certain Fuzzy Eyebrows using years ago. He had seen Rock Lee move without those weights and, at the time, was hardly able to keep his eyes on the young man. Now, after years of the Kyuubi's and Jiraiya's tutelage, he knew he could follow Lee's movements…but this was different. Even the Kyuubi was speechless as they watched the teen move at a speed that Naruto felt the demon become jealous of.

_If he's this fast…Fuzzy Eyebrows must be amazing…almost invisible… _Naruto thought to himself, sensing the Kyuubi agreed with him. He watched as Kiba darted around, the boy's movements using so much strength, Naruto could feel the resulting wind perfectly despite the distance between them. It wasn't simply strength, Naruto realized as he studied Kiba's speedy attacks. The boy had not only learned how to pump chakra into his hands and feet, but how to use it whether or not it made contact. Even the Rasengan and the Chidori could only be used if you were close enough to someone or something…that energy never left your body…but Kiba was able to release a smaller amount of energy – which wasn't attached to him in any way – and control its movement.

**…he might actually rival you, gaki…**

_…sugoi…_

Naruto took a deep breath, trying to settle his nerves as the Kyuubi began getting worked up over the prospect of having found a sparring partner who could actually challenge them. Not even Jiraiya could do that, but Naruto never actually pushed the old man to his limits – having your teacher have a heart attack in the middle of your journey wouldn't have been a good thing. Naruto really didn't want to know what Tsunade would do to him if she found out he killed the pervert…let alone what Orochimaru might think. He tried to push that fear out of his mind. The Akatsuki was enough for him to worry about…but if Orochimaru was after him as well… Naruto shivered at that idea, knowing he would be helpless if he saw him again.

**Oi, gaki…don't get yourself worked up over him…**

_I know… _Naruto clenched his fists together as he brought his gaze back to Kiba. He, and the Kyuubi, had to admit that the young man had truly grown up. He no longer held that round face or pudgy body that Naruto remembered. He didn't wear that old, baggy jacket or loose pants. The only thing that resembled the old Kiba were the red tattoos on his cheeks – but even those had changed. The lines seemed longer – thinner – than Naruto remembered. He passed that up to the fact Kiba's face had thinned out, revealing a masculine facial structure that framed his slitted, almond-shaped eyes. The boy's hair had grown enough that he was able to put it all back in a tight ponytail – which Kiba had done for his training – but Naruto distinctly remembered that the boy's hair was loose both times he met up with Kiba since he came back.

A small part of Naruto appreciated that, since the boy looked much better with his hair back. There were a few wisps that had escaped from the holder, curling down to create uneven bangs that made Kiba look far sterner than Naruto could imagine him being. The boy really had grown up since he left. Naruto tried to keep his eyes trained on Kiba's face, but within moments, he found his gaze traveling down the rest of the teen's body in appreciation.

The boy's old outfit – something Naruto remembered Kiba wearing yesterday as well – had been replaced by a tight-fitting pair of dark training pants and knee-high boots, both of which showed of the teen's muscular, long legs. There really wasn't any point to his shirt, Naruto decided as he looked at the skin-tight black mesh that showed off Kiba's fit body. He had lost all the chubbiness that came with childhood, replacing it with muscle on top of muscle. Kiba didn't have the familiar muscle structure shared by almost all of the shinobi in Konohagure. Whereas they were small, thin, or lanky, Kiba was a solid mass of muscle. If he hadn't been watching Kiba for the past few hours, he would have thought the teen would have to be slow, but that muscle that would have been slowed down anyone else actually seemed to make Kiba even faster.

**His thigh is bigger around than your entire waist!**

_…I know… _Naruto retorted in annoyance, still trying to find a word to describe the teen's body structure. Terms like stocky and burly gave him an image of some kind of old guy that was larger around than upwards, but Kiba was nothing like that. He was…perfect. For a moment, Naruto wondered how he missed the teen's recently acquired muscles yesterday, but remembered that baggy jacket that hid the boy's entire body.

**…I wonder how much he could lift…he might actually rival Tsunade in strength…**

_Impossible…_Naruto replied, but had actually been thinking the same thing. Even from this distance, Naruto could see the definitions of muscles he didn't even know existed until this morning. The fact that Kiba could move so quickly…so precisely…with such strength got Naruto's heartbeat to quicken. _Could we take him?_

**Of course, gaki…but it might be an actual workout…I heard that the Inuzuka males were able to be bulky and quick at the same time…but this is amazing…**

_So, it's his Bloodline Limit that gives him that? _Naruto wondered in astonishment. He had never heard of such an odd ability, but, then again, Kiba's family could control dogs…and were rumored to actually be animals, not people. Looking at Kiba now, Naruto was about to agree with that rumor. No _human_ could move so quickly with such power.

**Iie…that's part of it… I wouldn't doubt that he had that kind of muscle back when you were in the academy together… but he's been training for years too…he probably went through just as much as you did…**

_...I can't wait to fight him…_ Naruto commented, wondering how the Inuzuka would stand up to the power of the Kyuubi…and why Kiba had never beaten him into place when they were young. _He could have beaten all of us in the chuunin exams if he was even a fraction this good…_

Before the Kyuubi could agree with his container's comment, Naruto slid off of his tree branch and landed silently on the ground. He wordlessly thanked the Kyuubi for teaching him how to hide himself so perfectly that no one – not even someone of Kiba's senses – could notice him as he slipped off of the training grounds to think of a way to beat Kiba.

-

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-

Glancing up at the somewhat familiar ceiling, Kiba momentarily wondered where he was. His ceiling was far from this immaculate white… He tried to take a breath, to place the smell of the room, but found a great deal of weight sitting on his ribcage. It wasn't until he heard a soft oink that he remembered where he was…and who was sitting on him. He (none too gently) pushed the heavy little porker off his abdomen before sitting up and glancing around the Hokage's private office. Tsunade hardly let anyone come in here (let alone know about it), since it was her only sanctuary. Kiba, though, had snuck in quite often to take a quick nap on one of the amazingly comfortable couches or just to talk to that busty blonde about his latest problems. Kiba recalled coming here after his workout…after Naruto stood him up.

"I never should have told you how to get in here, gaki," said blonde huffed as she came into Kiba's view. From her mode of dress (or, more accurately, _undress_), Tsunade was hoping to hole herself up in here for quite some time.

"You're the one who wanted me to relax more," Kiba retorted good-naturedly as he slid off the bright red couch he had been sprawled across. "Oi, mind putting clothes on?" He eyed the very revealing robe the Hokage wore, knowing that if he was actually attracted to her, he would have been very uncomfortable.

"It's not my fault you came in here while I was getting a massage," Tsunade replied, pouting slightly as she readjusted her sheer green robe, momentarily flashing the Inuzuka. Yep, if Kiba liked women that much, he would have definitely been uncomfortable. A small part of the teen had to wonder if the woman's chest was real or not.

"Massage…right…" Kiba mumbled, eyeing the Hokage suspiciously as she blushed, her gaze momentarily shifting towards the smaller room she had just come out of. "Oh…so who's in there?" Kiba took a few steps towards the curtain separating them and Tsunade's partner. Mentally, Kiba rubbed his hands together greedily as he thought of what Tsunade could give him to buy his silence.

"Itoshiiii!" Kiba fore when he heard that voice coming from behind the curtain. It took the teen mere seconds to put a face to that voice and, as soon as he did, Kiba twitched from the mental image he got.

"Ew…I thought you had better taste than J-" Tsunade flew over to the Inuzuka and covered his mouth, which only made the boy struggle even more. He could only image where the blonde's hands had just been.

"Say another word and I tell Iruka what you did to his innocent Naruto last night…" Kiba froze at the threat. Everyone knew how protective the emotional, violence-prone Umino was of his favorite blonde. That childhood fear of someone stealing his manhood quickly came back in full force and Kiba unconsciously cupped his groin. "Naruto accidentally let it slip to him…that's why he came over this morning…one thing just led to another…" Tsunade whispered harshly, her eyes promising the Inuzuka that she would talk to him later about his actions last night.

Kiba wondered why the woman wanted to keep her relationship a secret, but knew better than to ask her right now. He nodded his head to the unspoken agreement to talk about their relationships when they had a chance, then silently left the room before Tsunade's perverted partner realized they hadn't been entirely alone.

-

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-

Akamaru sighed inwardly as he pulled his nose up from the pavement. His master had developed a habit of waking up early in the morning and disappearing for a few hours in the past three years. No one pressured the teen into saying where exactly he went – everyone agreed it was best for Kiba to let the boy have some time alone…even though it meant leaving his faithful, furred companion at home to be pet, groomed, and otherwise spoiled by the remainder of the Inuzuka clan. Akamaru ignored the little part of him that was still whining over leaving the house so early. Any other Inuzuka canine would have gladly stayed in the house today if they were in Akamaru's position. He, however, understood what had troubled his teenage master last night when he returned home late. The dog was somewhat worried about leaving Kiba on his own.

Despite his sharp sense of smell, Akamaru couldn't pick up his master's scent under those of the busy villagers walking throughout Konoha. He stopped walking for a moment, realizing that the Hokage might know where Kiba was. Those two had become very close in the past few years and, if anyone knew what was going through Kiba's mind at any given moment, it was Tsunade. He started to turn towards the Hokage tower, but bumped his snout into someone he hadn't noticed was behind him.

"Oi, watch where you're going, flea-bag…" Akamaru instinctively growled when he saw the blonde glare at him disapprovingly. "Where's Dog-breath?"

"Grr…"

"Why do you think _I'd_ know where he is?" Naruto retorted, pouting slightly when he heard the dog's accusatory tone. Everyone always thought he was up to no good. It took a few blank stares from the puppy for Naruto to realize what he had just done. "Ehh…?"

"Arf arf!"

"What do you mean 'what did you do to Kiba?' I didn't touch a hair on that flea-bitten hornball!" Several people turned at Naruto's comments and glared at him disapprovingly, trying to mask the fear they obviously felt. They apparently thought he was talking to himself because they couldn't see the small dog by his feet. "What did he do to me?!"

Akamaru, instead of answering the obviously confused teen, gently bit down on Naruto's pant leg and started pulling the boy away from the gossiping eyes of the public. If anyone found out Naruto understood the Inuzuka canines, they wouldn't be too hesitant to claim he was using the Kyuubi's powers and burn him at the stake… As much as Akamaru mistrusted the teen, he knew that Kiba would never forgive him if he allowed anyone to hurt the blonde because of him.

"Oi, where are you taking me?" Naruto demanded, but didn't pull away form the puppy as he followed Akamaru towards the training grounds. Once the dog was sure no one would be able to hear their conversation, he let go of Naruto's leg and sat down in front of the boy.

Naruto slowly followed suit and plopped down across from Kiba's dog, trying not to recall his morning of studying…it wasn't spying… "How?"

"Arf…" _I don't know…_

"I thought only the Inuzuka clan could understand you…" Naruto pointed out, trying to remember everything Jiraiya and the Kyuubi had taught him about Kiba's family during their three long years together.

"Arf!" _They are!_ "Grr arf?" _What about the Kyuubi?_ For a moment, Naruto furrowed his eyebrows thoughtfully. Akamaru watched in fascination as the teen's features quickly became impassive when he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The puppy inwardly was amazed at how disciplined Naruto had become when it came to meditation. If only Kiba could become that focused…not even all those lessons with the kunoichi could help his master gain such a grasp on meditation.

_Oi…teme!_

**You keep calling me that and I won't talk to you anymore…**

_Fine…mind explaining, _hentai

**I'm warning you, kit…**

_…ooh, I'm scared…_

**….I hate you…**

_Aww, I never knew you cared!_

**…sarcastic bastard…and I have nothing to do with your newfound dog-speech…that's your doing…spying on your sparring partner…hmph…**

_Eh? And it was your idea to spy on him, not me!_

**...it wasn't spying...I was gathering information...**

_Riiight...and what do you mean 'it's my doing?'_

**Ask the flea-bag about it…**

Akamaru unconsciously slid back a few steps when he saw the Uzumaki finally stir, opening his eyes. The puppy froze when he momentarily saw those blood-red eyes everyone in the village had learned to fear years ago. Almost as soon as those demonic eyes registered in the puppy's mind, they turned back to an almost impossible shade of blue. _Sugoi…his control over the Kyuubi is amazing…_

"She said she didn't do anything…and that you know why I can understand you…" Naruto said quietly, his blue eyes focusing on his hands. Akamaru watched the teen for a moment, trying to ignore the growing fear in the bottom of his stomach.

_Some Inuzuka mates can understand us…_ Akamaru finally admitted to himself as he took a deep breath in preparation to tell the confused teen what he had to do. _Kiba can never find out…_

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-

Kiba sat back in his seat, smirking when he saw Tsunade finally enter her crowded office. The other shinobi in the room were quick to crowd around the woman, asking a variety of questions. The most common question, though, had to do with on particular blonde…

"Tsunade-sama, we can't let that monster walk around freely!"

"Not with the jutsu Jiraiya-sama must have taught it!"

"It could destroy the whole village!"

Kiba wasn't too sure what paranoid bug Shino had crawl up these people's asses, but he couldn't help but be amused as several more chuunin and jounin agreed with their comrades. The Inuzuka was positive Naruto wouldn't harm the village, so he sat back, waiting to see what the Hokage would say about one of her favorite teenagers.

"Urusai!! All of you are acting like children!" Tsunade roared as she (none too lightly) punched an unsuspecting Ebisu out of the window. Everyone else in the room fell silent as they listened to the man scream like a child as he dropped several stories, finally landing into the nearby onsen judging from the loud splash and feminine cries. The shinobi left in the room chuckled nervously as they looked at their leader in fear. Tsunade cracked her knuckles as she walked forward, the sea of shinobi parting for her. "Now, all of you better rethink your distrust. Naruto-kun is already more powerful than most jounin, I agree, but he has been taught to control himself by the same man who trained the Fourth…there will be no more talk of betrayal, do you hear me?" The few shinobi who weren't already paralyzed in fear nodded their heads quickly, then shot out of the room, dragging their unmoving friends behind them.

As soon as the crowd of shinobi dissipated, Tsunade turned to look at the remaining chuunin. Kiba chuckled as he reached into Tsunade's desk from her chair and pulled out a sake bottle. "Do you really believe what you told them?" he asked softly, bringing to mind the image of those demonic eyes he had seen before.

"Do you?" Tsunade retorted, her tone being enough to answer Kiba's question. She sighed as she slid into a chair on the opposite side of her desk, reaching for the sake bottle and taking a swig. "Jiraiya and I were talking about it, Kiba…we agreed that you and Naruto should stop this…no good can come from you two being together…"

"Nani?" Kiba sat up straighter as he watched the woman look forlornly at her bottle. "Why?"

"…I have heard about your family's predicament on countless occasions, Kiba. You're their last hope…if Naruto was any other boy, I would say to hell with heirs and that, as long as you loved each other, to not give into your family's demands…"

"What? So, if Naruto wasn't a demon's container, you'd be fine with it? I don't care about the Kyuubi!" Kiba raised an eyebrow when he saw the barest of smiles come to Tsunade's face.

"You're one of the very few people who would say that…but the Kyuubi isn't the only thing I'm talking about. Naruto's the last of his family's line too. I can't, in good conscience, let us die out," Tsunade stated, almost immediately biting her tongue at the slip. She knew that if she rephrased herself, Kiba would be bound to notice the original mistake, so she ignored it. She studied Kiba for any hints of understanding and breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed the boy hadn't caught the hint she accidentally dropped.

_Us…_Kiba kept his face impassive as he looked over at the blonde woman. "What's so special about the Uzumaki clan? I've never heard of any other Uzumaki except Naruto…" Tsunade didn't say anything as she glanced over at the five frames on the wall to her left. She had, even as a child, looked at that wall for confidence. Of course, when she was little, there were only two pictures there.

Kiba followed the woman's gaze, his eyes catching streaks of gold. Noticing the glimpse of pain cross the blonde's face, Kiba got up and walked towards the pictures. Two of the photos' subjects were unfamiliar, but Kiba knew them to be the First and the Second. The Third looked so young in his picture that Kiba almost didn't recognize him. Tsunade's picture was fifth in line, showing the youthful appearance she had always favored. Kiba then glanced at the first blonde in the row of Hokages. Kiba had never known the man, but everyone revered him and what he did for their village. He studied the Fourth's mop of bright blond. His piercing blue eyes seemed to be glaring down at Kiba disapprovingly.

"Minato wasn't too happy the day they took his picture…he was usually much more cheerful…" Tsunade commented quietly as she dropped her head down into her hands. Her talk with Jiraiya had opened up an old wound that she would have rather forgotten. Jiraiya had stormed out of her room, not listening to her apologies. _I didn't mean to never tell him…but it was better for everyone…_she had to remind herself as she slid out of her seat and walked around the desk, sitting down in her own chair. She opened one of the desk drawers, one protected by her most powerful jutsu. Kiba turned slightly, seeing the Hokage pull a book out of the desk. He gave her a curious look, silently asking for more of an explanation. "His parents left the village without saying goodbye…he never saw them again. He died only a little while after the picture was taken…"

"Why did they leave?" Kiba asked softly, sensing there was something wrong when he realized Tsunade hadn't finished her sake yet. He took slow steps towards the woman as she opened up the book in her hands. He could see that the leather-bound book was actually a photo album as she flipped through pages of colorful pictures. Kiba sat back down in his seat across from the Hokage, noticing the pained expression that the woman was unable to hold back, despite her best efforts.

"His father's boyfriend betrayed the village a while before that day, and his father finally went after that bastard..." Kiba, going against his curious nature, sat silent as he watched the woman fume for a moment, then continued her explanation. "His mother needed some time alone after finding out. He promised her he would never go looking for him." The Inuzuka watched as Tsunade's hands quivered slightly as she pulled the photo album closer to herself so that he couldn't see some of the pictures. Kiba could hear something in her voice that screamed the whole event was more personal than she was letting on, but he knew better than to push Tsunade into answer questions she wasn't ready to. He had been hit by her more than once and he really didn't want to relive such an experience.

"And when he died..." Kiba didn't have to finish his question. The sorrow in the woman's face was enough of an answer. "They didn't come back."

"It was far too painful for both of them. If only they were there...they could have saved almost everyone who died that day. Maybe even Minato..." Tsunade added softly, flipping to the next page in the album and setting it back down on the desk. Kiba leaned forward enough that he could see the aged photos and nearly flew out of his seat when he saw a picture of the woman sitting in front of him. If it was even possible, Tsunade looked younger in the picture than she did now. Almost instantly, Kiba could tell why - she was grinning from ear to ear in the picture. He had never seen such an expression on the woman before. The wisdom that her eyes held now was absent in the picture. Her eyes held pure joy, which was reflected in the eyes of the picture's other subject - a tiny baby with a notoriously messy head of blond hair. It only took Kiba mere seconds to realize that Tsunade must have been tickling the small child when the picture was taken. _She looks so happy_...Kiba thought to himself as he pulled his gaze away from the young woman and studied the baby in her arms.

Even though the baby's eyes were almost completely closed in the photo, Kiba could tell that his eyes had to have been the brightest blue imaginable. He didn't know how exactly he was able to tell...but the color just seemed to _fit_. Kiba imagined what the boy must have looked like with his eyes wide open and nearly fell out of his chair. That familiar, mischievous glint just seemed to suit the boy just as much as his eye color. "N-Naruto?" Without warning, Kiba grabbed the book away from the Hokage and looked more closely at the child. Naruto's trademark whisker marks were absent, but the boy in the photo held an eerie resemblance to the Uzumaki teen...as though it could be Naruto as a baby...before he got those scars. Kiba flipped through the next few pages, his amazement and curiosity growing as he watched that same blonde grow into a handsome teen before his eyes. "I-iie..." The teen's face was too thin - too unmarred…and far too (genuinely) carefree - to be Naruto.

"I almost mistook him for Minato the first time I met him," Tsunade commented quietly, then sighed deeply. "He even sounds just like him..." The Hokage sighed again, then lowered her head into her hands before continuing, "We left before Minato could tell us. I didn't find out until Jiraiya and Naruto came to find me. Minato married his childhood crush only a few months after becoming Hokage. She felt sorry for Minato and finally agreed to date him...he had been trying to impress her for so many years. They had only gone on a few dates by the time we left.."

Kiba didn't bother to ask the woman why she kept saying 'we.' He had realized Tsunade's part in the whole matter when he saw that first picture of her and the blond baby. He remained silent for a moment, not wanting to believe the conclusion he had come to. "How was it they let Jiraiya-sama train the Fourth?" Kiba finally asked after giving in to his instincts. _Jiraiya and Tsunade...they were the Fourth's parents...but everyone knows Jiraiya-sama was his sensei._ Kiba knew how strict the shinobi laws on family were. You weren't allowed to train your own family (pre-genin and Bloodline Limit lessons being the only exceptions), let alone go on missions with them. A person was bound to be paying more attention to their loved ones than the danger surrounding them.

"No one else knew at the time...I only told Minato about his real parents when he became a jounin. He had been raised to believe he was a Hatake and that I was only a family friend. I was very close to Kakashi's grandmother back then...she was the only one who knew I was pregnant. She and her husband had been trying for years to have a baby, but she couldn't carry the babies to full-term. She had had several miscarriages and was about ready to give up. I couldn't possibly take care of a baby, so we made everyone believe she was the pregnant one...no one but us knew about the switch - not even her husband. Kakashi's father was born a few years later, but we couldn't bring ourselves to tell anyone what we had done. Even Kakashi believed Minato was his father's older brother. Saruobi-sensei let Minato train Kakashi only because of that idiot's abilities. After his father..._passed away_...Kakashi completely lost it and Minato was the only one who could control him. Kakashi put all of his energy and frustration into training...and became a jounin at such a young age. When Minato was killed, Kakashi damn near lost it again."

_The White Fang_, Kiba thought with a shudder. Everyone knew how the once-respected shinobi died, but no one ever spoke about him. _He and the Fourth were...brothers?_ Kiba thought about that for a moment, thinking back on all the times he saw Kakashi around Naruto. The man certainly didn't show any favoritism towards the boy. Kiba contemplated the twisted familial ties there, assuming that the Fourth had been legally "adopted" by the Hatake clan. _That'd make Naruto Kakashi-sensei's...cousin?_ Kiba thought about that odd relationship for a moment, trying not to pull Iruka into the whole mess as well. The man, being Naruto's only "family" as well as Kakashi's lover...that just made things _way_ too complicated. "But Kakashi..."

"Like the majority of the village, didn't know who Naruto was. The few who did didn't believe it. No one wanted to image Minato's only child was the Kyuubi's container...even those icy bastards conveniently forgot about their heiress' son." Kiba thought about the woman's 'icy bastards' comment and tried to place someone to the name. There were only two groups that he could think of - the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans - that deserved such _warmth_ from their Hokage. "That little dirty secret died with their clan, though." That statement pinpointed which family she was talking about. Kiba's lower jaw dropped as he thought about what such information meant.

"Naruto's...an Uchiha?" Kiba stared at the Hokage in amazement. "But he doesn't have the Sharingan..." Kiba pointed out, hoping he was wrong about Naruto's lineage. To imagine the one person who could really hurt the blonde was also one of his few living relatives was just too much - not to mention the other Uchiha brother was probably still planning a way to capture Naruto...

"The ability only shows up if your father was an Uchiha. It's a recessive gene in Naruto. Technically, if Naruto had any children, they would have the Sharingan..." Tsunade replied without thinking about her answer until she saw the understanding in Kiba's eyes. She took a deep breath, letting the information settle in the Inuzuka's mind.

"So Naruto's important because he's one of the last three Uchiha, your grandson, _and_ the Fourth's son?" Kiba looked down at the book in his hands, which had flipped to one of the last pages on its own. He studied the thin woman in the Fourth's arms. Although her eyes were identical in color to a certain traitorous Uchiha, they were the exact opposite of Sasuke's. They, like the blond man's, were filled with joy, warmth, and to an extent, mischief. It was as though they knew something the person taking the picture didn't. From those gentle eyes, Kiba could tell she loved the man holding her more than anything else in the world. He didn't have to look through the last few pictures to know that the last images of the Fourth and his wife revealed a rounded stomach. "Does he know?"

"Jiraiya told him who his father was when they left years ago. Naruto couldn't handle knowing that not only his best friend, but his _cousin _betrayed him - tried to kill him. He doesn't need to know how many people he's related to...and how they all, in one way or another, betrayed him. He doesn't deserve that kind of pain," Tsunade said with a threatening tone. Kiba knew that she only wanted to protect her grandson both mentally and emotionally, but his conscience kept telling him that Naruto deserved to know _who_ exactly he was. Kiba couldn't help but think that Naruto should know that two of his grandparents were still alive and that his genin teacher, in some twisted way, was his uncle.

"Why did you tell me?" Kiba asked softly, wishing he could keep Tsunade's secrets, but knew that he wouldn't be able to hide it from Naruto the next time he saw the blonde. He was never good with keeping secrets or lying - one of the many traits everyone in his family held. Kiba knew that it was wrong to keep something like this from the teen, but could sense that Tsunade didn't tell him about Naruto's family ties because she wanted her grandson to know he had living relatives.

Tsunade leaned forwards and took the book from Kiba. Flipping to the back cover of the book, Tsunade glanced down at the familiar handwriting. She always read the short message when she thought about the son she never was able to claim as her own. She handed the book back to the young man and smiled sadly when Kiba looked over the sloppy writing that was almost identical to Naruto's.

_Naruto_,

_I hope you find this one day when you're ready. I want you to know that, even though you never knew us, your mother and I love you more than you can ever imagine. We should have been there for you as you grew up into the wonderful person we know you'll be, but that wasn't our fate. Your mother passed away only a little while after you were born, but the first, and only, time she held you, she saw the man you'll one day become...the powerful shinobi, loving father, and just Hokage we always imagined you'd be. I pray that you will one day be able to forgive us for not being there to raise you and tell you in person how much we love you. I also hope that someday you can forgive me for what I've done to you. I never wanted to put such a heavy, and dreadful, burden on you, but I know you are the only person strong enough to control the Kyuubi no Kitsune. If nothing else, she will protect you and raise you like we never could. Your life will be difficult not only because of what is in you, but who you are. I know you'll grow up alone and, for that, I beg your forgiveness. Hardly anyone besides your mother's family knew you were born and your mother told me most of them will die in a few years...I'm sure your cousin Itachi was too young to remember holding you right after you were born, so I'm not sure if he'll even know you're related. I hope he'll protect you and Sasuke, though. Wouldn't it be funny if you two grow up to be the best of friends? You punched Sasuke the first time I put you in the crib with him..._

_My son, I'm writing this...hearing the screams of my people. Please never let them go through such a thing again. In a few minutes, I'll seal the Kyuubi in you because we have run out of options and there are hardly any shinobi left to fight the demon off. Whatever you have to deal with because of the decision I've made today, I never wanted you to go through it. I always imagined that I'd be able to be hear your first words...see your first steps...watch you fall in love with someone very special (and don't worry, your mother and I already approve of ...), teach you everything I know...but I lost that chance and I know I'll never see you again in this world. Now I just wish I could have seen your first smile... I want you to be happy, Naruto, more than anything else, so please, as a father's dying wish, I ask that you don't come to hate the people who couldn't accept who you were when you were growing up...they will one day realize how wrong they were. You are going to accomplish great things, Naruto, I'm sure of it and I want you to know that we are proud of you and wish we could have been there to see you accept the Hokage title. _

_I love you so much. Please forgive me..._

Kiba reread the note a few times, blinking rapidly - hoping that the Hokage didn't notice the water welling up in his eyes. From the words alone, Kiba could feel how much the Fourth regretted what he was doing and how much he loved his son, even though he never really knew Naruto. His eyes kept returning to one phrase in particular: _your mother and I already approve of..._ It was the only part of the whole letter that had a scribble mark. It was as though the Fourth had written something down after 'of,' but rethought it and crossed it out to the point it was illegible. _He didn't want Naruto to know who he was going to fall in love with..._Kiba thought to himself, wondering how the man - who died over fourteen years ago - would know anything that happened after his death. _He mentioned the Uchiha massacre...but talked about Itachi like he was a good person..._

Tsunade watched the teen's expression, knowing what Kiba was trying to figure out. "Naruto's mother...her Sharingan was abnormal. She couldn't use it to create illusions...instead, she saw the truth of things. Sometimes, she saw what could happen in the future. Some things came true...other times, she was able to stop it from happening. She came to me often when she was a teen...wanting to know what to do with that kind of knowledge. I told her not to do anything to affect the future unless it was to save someone. So she kept it to herself most of the time, but she was able to save so many lives before she passed away. Right before I left the village, she came to me to tell me she saw that in a few years, her clan was going to all but die out. She was devastated...but not because they were all going to be murdered. It wasn't until I heard that Itachi was the one who killed them all that I realized she knew _he_ was going to do it. After telling me about the massacre, she became extremely close to Itachi - always taking him to the park or the museums for the day. She constantly begged his parents to not let him become a shinobi...they wouldn't listen. Itachi was far too young to remember all of it, but she was hoping to change him...I just wish it would have worked."

Kiba thought about Tsunade's statement for a moment. If she could have seen what happened to her entire family, why couldn't she see what happened to Sasuke...or her own son? _Did she know that Naruto would turn out like this? _"...she saw Naruto becoming Hokage?" Kiba asked softly, looking over the messy handwriting one more time. He could tell the letter was written in a hurry, but more than that, the Fourth's hand was shaking terribly. Kiba guessed the trembling was due to crying since he was sure the Fourth could never be afraid of anything. He looked up at the blonde and saw her nod her head slightly. "How come she didn't see the Kyuubi attack?"

"I've been asking myself that for years...even if she had seen it, what could she or Minato do? There was no way to destroy the Kyuubi...or stop her from attacking the village..." Tsunade replied, leaning forward in the chair and pulling the album from Kiba. "And it was the only way to save Naruto's life." Seeing the Inuzuka's raised eyebrow, Tsunade continued, "one of my students delivered Naruto...she told me only when I finally came back that Naruto had a heart defect when he was born. It would have killed him before he was a month old. And those few weeks would have been filled with excruciating pain. When she told Minato about it, he was consumed by grief...and anger. He blamed me for it; I know he did. I could have healed Naruto, but he wouldn't have been able to find me in time. About two weeks after Naruto was born, the Kyuubi attacked. Sealing the Kyuubi in him was the only way to save him. Minato didn't know his son's heart had stopped when writing that letter, but everyone I spoke to told me when he finally did find out, he completely lost his mind and outright attacked the Kyuubi - sealing her in Naruto before she got a chance to defend herself."

"And Naruto's okay now?" Kiba questioned, taking a deep breath as he thought over what Tsunade had said. No one knew that the Fourth had used his own son to save their village...to save the blonde's own life. _It's not fair...Naruto deserves to read this..._Kiba thought to himself, his devious mind already planning how to make that possible. He inwardly smirked, remembering all the times he left Iruka stumped after pulling one of his pranks. Of course, his ability to sneak into anything or anywhere was the only reason he passed most of Iruka's tests back in the academy. He grinned slightly, remembering those days. It seemed like a completely different life.

"The Kyuubi revived him when she was sealed in Naruto, but she never healed his heart. His heart can't possibly pump enough blood as he gets older because of the defect...being a shinobi is putting so much stress on his heart, it should have given out years ago. The only thing that's keeping Naruto alive now is the Kyuubi's chakra and pure stubbornness," Tsunade said quietly, wishing there was something she could do to help her grandson. "His heart's so far gone, there's nothing left for me to heal. If they were ever to be separated, Naruto would certainly die..." Kiba could hear the quiver in her voice and knew that this knowledge must have been eating at her those years Naruto was gone. To be the greatest medical mind to exist and not be able to save your own grandson...Kiba couldn't even begin to imagine how Tsunade dealt with it.

"Gomen..." Kiba whispered, wishing his apology could help the woman. She smiled sadly at him before sighing softly. "There has to be some way to help him."

"We could try transplanting another heart into him, but the surgery is far too risky. It's never been successful, but in theory, it would work. But if we don't do it soon enough, we make some kind of mistake, or his body doesn't accept it - I can't gamble with Naruto's life..." Tsunade replied, her voice filled with defeat. _I've given the problem to Sakura and Hinata in their medical lessons. They only think it was a hypothetical question...and had the same answer as me. There's less than a one in ten chance of surviving the surgery even with all our medical minds combined. Neither one of them would take the risk unless the patient was definitely going to die otherwise. For now, Naruto is fine._

"That doesn't seem fair...why wouldn't the Kyuubi heal it? She heals his other injuries," Kiba pointed out, glancing down at his palm for a moment. Naruto's blood alone was enough to heal his hands, so why couldn't it do the same for Naruto's heart? He looked back up at Tsunade when she heard her audibly sigh. She took a deep breath and momentarily glanced down at her own hands.

"The Kyuubi heals whatever's _wrong_ with Naruto. He's had the defect since birth...she can't heal something that's been there longer than herself. It's just like the scars on Naruto's cheeks...he had them since he was born. He was cut during the cesarean. They had to do it so quickly, they accidentally cut his cheeks." Tsunade unconsciously touched her own cheeks, remembering when the woman who delivered Naruto told her about the oddities in his delivery. _She told me that she was sure she didn't cut him...that the cuts seemed more like fingernail marks. She said it looked like Naruto did it to himself. She said _Minato_ was just so happy his son lived through the delivery that he didn't care what marks he had on him. _

Kiba sat back in his seat, sighing as he did so. "It's still not fair..." he said stubbornly. _Naruto shouldn't have to deal with being the Kyuubi's container _and_ having a bad heart..._ He leaned his head back and glanced up at the ceiling. "Why are you telling me, and not Naruto, all of this?"

"Kiba, you read that letter...Naruto's destined to have a family one day. I don't want you to fall in love with him then have your heart broken, or the other way around. Naruto's mother told me once, before she even started dating Minato, that her son was going to be special. That he was going to have powerful children that would carry on her clan's Bloodline Limit. And that he'd die far too early," Tsunade whispered the last comment, wishing that it wasn't true. "Naruto can't deal with a broken heart. Please, Kiba..." She leaned forwards, looking up at the teen's chin until Kiba tore his gaze away from the ceiling and his eyes met the Hokage's. "I already lost Minato, please don't make me lose Naruto too..."

Kiba took a deep breath, wishing that he could look away from the woman's pleading eyes. "I can't promise that, Tsunade-sama," he said softly, biting his lower lip when he saw the pain that came to the woman's youthful face. "But I'll try - I'll try to just stay friends with him." Kiba pulled his eyes away from the woman, wishing that he hadn't made such a statement. Not being able to do something that every part of him screamed was supposed to be...but he knew that he couldn't go back on his word now. _What am I going to do?_ Kiba wondered as he looked back at Tsunade and saw a bittersweet smile that made her, for once, look her age.

"Arigatou, Kiba," Tsunade replied, her eyes following the young man as he stood up and, without another word, left her office. She waited until she could no longer hear the teen's soft footsteps padding down the hallway, then opened another sealed drawer and pulled out a small envelope that had beautiful calligraphy across it. _Tsu-chan...she was the only one who ever called me that..._Tsunade thought to herself as she opened the envelope and pulled out an equally beautifully written letter covering multiple pages. She glanced over the letter, already knowing its contents by heart. _She knew...even when she was a teen...everything..._ Tsunade smiled when she found one paragraph in particular. Kushina had told her the day she gave the letter to Tsunade that she couldn't look at it until her grandson had returned from a long journey. Tsunade remembered looking at her curiously at the time, wondering how the young girl could possibly see that far into the future. Minato was only thirteen at the time. When Naruto had finally come back from his trek around the world with Jiraiya, she had flown to her office to open the letter that had been the bane of her existence for the past thirty some-odd years. The first time she read through it, Tsunade was amazed at how detailed Kushina's descriptions were of what was going to happen to people she never knew, not to mention those who weren't even born by the time she died. One statement in particular, though, had confused the Hokage up until the past few days. _She said that I would have to tell Kiba about Naruto's family. She knew there was no other way to keep them apart? _Tsunade asked herself as she glanced over the next few pages of notes. There were few mentions of the woman's traitorous nephews - even though Kushina knew what the two boys would do one day. She merely said, at one point in the letter, that Sasuke would return one day and that he had to be accepted back into the village. The rest of Kiba's and Naruto's friends were mentioned - who would date whom, what they liked doing, and other little bits of information that only proved the extent of Kushina's abilities. Tsunade flipped to the last page of the letter, reading the last few sentences and wishing that Kushina had written what she should do to change the future.

_Despite your best efforts, Tsu-chan, Naruto is going to die at a young age. For months, Naruto's health will deteriorate, but no one will notice because he'll keep it to himself. He won't be able to sleep, at first. By the end, he will hardly be able to fight off his symptoms - even with all the help the Kyuubi can give. His heart will finally give out after having a fight with his lover. His death will be long and painful. With his last breath, the Kyuubi will be released and within seconds, he will die. Only after his heart stops beating will Kiba finally say, out loud, what he had been trying to keep from Naruto for so long._

Tsunade theorized that, if she kept Kiba away from Naruto, that their relationship couldn't progress any further. She had shown the letter to Jiraiya, only letting him read those last few lines. She hadn't wanted him to find out about his son through a letter from a girl he only knew as one of his favorite student's girlfriends. He had agreed with Tsunade's idea in keeping the boys apart for their own good - it was then that Tsunade let Minato's parentage slip and Jiraiya had stormed out before she could get a chance to explain herself and apologize for keeping such a secret from him. Tsunade glanced back at the few paragraphs before those dreadful words and wished that Kushina had unconsciously skipped a long period of time. If not, Naruto didn't have much time left. The last thing Kushina mentioned before Naruto's demise was the 'joining of two powerful clans.' _Hinata and Kankuro...they'll be married soon..._

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Jiraiya took a deep breath as he looked up at the stars. Tonight's sky was unusually clear, which gave the old man the ability to see every constellation. Once, when he was young, he was able to name them all and find them in the night's sky no matter the season. After Orochimaru left, he had given up that pastime because it brought back far too many painful memories of laying next to the other shinobi in the grass after a long mission. They just looked up at the sky in silence. Every now and again, one thing led to another and, before they remembered where they were, clothes were being flung all over and Tsunade was forced to cover her ears and move camp further away from the two males.

_How did we never notice she was pregnant? _he wondered. Thinking back on it, though, Jiraiya remembered Tsunade had gained a little bit of weight when they were younger. She had gotten rid of it, though, within a year. That weight gain, along with an entire wardrobe change, hadn't sent up any flags in the man's mind at the time, but looking back on it now, Jiraiya wondered how he never realized that his teammate wasn't simply putting on a few pounds. He and Sarutobi-sensei joked back then that it was her last effort to grow a bosom. When it finally worked, they simply let the matter drop. It was as though no one noticed. If his timing was correct, Tsunade finally started losing the weight around the time Minato was born. _But...why me?_ Jiraiya asked himself for the thousandth time that night. He could understand why Tsunade was hiding a pregnancy - he would have mocked her to no ends at the time. Not to mention she'd be forced to go on maternity leave, something that would have made the woman incapable of using her medical knowledge to save lives. But why _his_ child? Jiraiya thought back to those days when he and Orochimaru had first started having problems - when he had gone to Tsunade for comfort. The first time, he knew it was out of pity - even though she was the one who ended up crying afterwards. Jiraiya had always imagined that Tsunade's many dates ended up in sex, but he had been amazed to find out later that night that it had been her first time.

_She trusted me and I screwed it up. No wonder she never told me about _Minato_..._Jiraiya thought to himself, wishing that he hadn't gone on a sex-binge after that night with Tsunade. Anything and everything that moved was a potential bed partner to him. Of course, he hadn't mustered up enough courage to bed Tsunade again for almost a year after that dreadful night. He took another deep breath to calm himself, remembering how happy the Hatake clan had been when Minato was born. No one bothered to wonder how a blond haired, blue-eyed baby was born to the clan known for white or silver hair and black eyes. _His 'mother' must have had a miscarriage at some point..._ Jiraiya theorized, remembering all the trouble the Hatake couple had in trying to start their own family. For Tsunade to do something as selfless as give her own child to them...Jiraiya slowly started to forgive the woman.

He thought back to the blonde's childhood, how he had taken an interest in the bouncy child from the beginning and followed him throughout his academy years. He had been lucky enough to get Minato as a genin student without lowering himself to begging Sarutobi (something he really was prepared to do). Even after Minato had become a chuunin, then a jounin, and eventually reached ANBU status, Jiraiya was always there. He and the blonde had been close. Minato had once told Jiraiya (not without the help of cases of sake) that he saw the pervert as a second father. Jiraiya smiled sadly, knowing that he couldn't have had a better relationship with Minato even if they knew about Tsunade's dark secret. If nothing else, Tsunade had helped them both. Jiraiya knew he would never be able to take care of a child full-time - the poor child would have been locked in a small closet within a few hours of being alone with the man. Jiraiya had the opportunity to teach his son without having a nagging conscience telling him that Minato was his _own_ son and that he should treat him better.

_I never got to hold him..._ Jiraiya pointed out sadly, wishing that he could have, just once, called Minato his son. He never got to play with the blonde when he was a child. He didn't get the chance to tell Minato, on a daily basis, what the boy meant to him. Not once was he ever able to hold his son as a father would... Jiraiya took a deep breath, remembering that he hadn't even been there for his son's wedding...for Naruto's birth...not even for Minato's funeral. _What kind of father am I?_ Jiraiya wondered, praying that Minato didn't know about it. The man would have been devastated that his own father left before the ceremony naming him Hokage...that he never returned until years after his death.

Jiraiya looked down at the roof he was sitting on. Only a few stories below him slept his unknowing grandson... _I'm a grandfather..._Jiraiya thought to himself, smiling despite the self-hatred he felt. Naruto had been alone almost his entire life...not knowing he had grandparents; that he had a grandfather that would have loved to take him in. He knew that he shouldn't tell Naruto the entire truth about his family, but he couldn't help but remember the first time he had seen Naruto - a scrawny blonde in dirty rags as he all but crawled up the steps to the academy. Back then, Naruto wasn't able to stand up for himself and took far too many beatings from the bigger children. Despite Sarutobi's weekly check-ups on Naruto, the boy was unable to keep himself clean, healthy, and fed. There was never someone for him to lean on. Jiraiya thought about that for a moment, making the decision that Naruto deserved to know he had family still alive.

_I want to start making up for all that time I wasn't there for him...he doesn't have too many years left..._

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Authoress: Alrighty, I think that 23 pages are enough for one chapter //stretches back, clinging to her new laptop// yep, I got a laptop (one of my graduation presents)...so now I can watch my romance movies and, if I get any good ideas...the computer's right there //pumps fist in the air// I LOVE BEING LAZY!!!!...//smiles sheepishly// anyways, I just want to thank everyone for reading this story so far...it really is finally starting to have a plot!! And I know that a great deal of my own personal ideas are coming out...BUT I'M WRITING THIS STORY AN' I WANT NARUTO TO HAVE SOME BLOOD RELATIVES!!!...anyways...this goes out to my wonderful readers...**THANK YOU GUYS FOR TELLING ME THE FOURTH'S REAL NAME!!! **(when I first put up this chapter, I had it down as Akira..I couldn't find his real name anywhere…but I corrected it…)...There were so many of you that helped me that I can't possibly write chapters/stories for each of you, so I'll give you guys the next chapter as soon as possible!! (no more months of waiting!!!) //squeals// So, yet again, thanks for dealing with me and my slow updating...but I've got the story planned out for the most part...and, let me tell you...the ending...//dies from the images// I can't tell you what will happen, but...no, must not hint!!!!!!!...those hints will be for future chapters...so, until next chapter, sayonara!! And don't forget to review...those nice comments really do get authors to type faster!!!


	7. Chapter Six

Authoress: woah…I really need to work on updating on some kind of schedule…but, I already updated on one of my stories, Underneath the Scars (and for those of you who read it, thank you so much for all of your wonderful reviews!! It really gets us authors in the mood for writing new chapters as soon as possible!)…so, now that I'm home for a few weeks for winter break, the holidays are all over, and I have nothing else to do, I'll hopefully get some chapters done and, just maybe, finish one of my stories soon! YOSH! So, on to Revealing a Kitsune!

Disclaimer:…if I owned Naruto…//gets a nosebleed from the images she gave herself// oooooh…it'd be wonderful…and I'm sure it would be a favorite at Yaoi-con!

**Chapter Six**

Naruto laid perfectly still, his focus entirely on the deep breathing against his neck. The warm puffs were usually calming, but the soft sighs were uneven – something that was quite uncommon and the blonde was concerned. He turned his head slowly to the side, catching a glimpse of the red fur he was curled up against. The Kyuubi had fallen asleep only a short while ago, leaving him awake to ponder over the recent changes in her behavior. He remembered a time when he could lay against her and fall asleep within seconds. There was something about the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest that always lulled him to sleep, but lately she seemed to be panting as she herself slept. He wouldn't have been so worried except for the fact that they hadn't exerted any energy lately, so there was no reason for the exhaustion she was beginning to exhibit. When he was younger, she hardly slept and, more often than not, forced him to stay awake with her negative thoughts towards him and everyone else.

The blonde smiled slightly, remembering how terribly she treated him when he was young – how she told him he was worthless, weak, and otherwise a waste of energy. It wasn't until Iruka told him what he was that he put together all the strange thoughts he always had. He had never purposely berated himself, it just seemed to happen whenever someone else started mocking him, but when he learned about the Kyuubi, it made sense that the strange voice he always heard was hers. As soon as he knew of her existence, Naruto practiced his meditation so that he could see her, talk to her, and – as of late – lay next to her. He knew that she would never admit it, but the Kyuubi liked the time they spent together like this. Even if it was just that he lay next to her and fall asleep, Naruto knew that she enjoyed his company.

Naruto pulled his gaze away from the reddish fur and looked around the demon's cage. It was dark, as usual, but he had been noticing that it was starting to become brighter as of late. The Kyuubi hadn't explained to him why exactly her surroundings had been changing, but whatever the reason was, she was quite pleased about it. She had never told Naruto her feelings, but he had been able to tap into her emotions without the fox knowing it for some time now.

_But she fears something…what could it be?_ Naruto asked himself as he looked up at the cage's ceiling. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, smelling the spicy aroma he had come to know as distinctly the Kyuubi's. He had once made the mistake of trying to explain to Jiraiya how he could sit with the demon, how he could feel her as though she was real. The old man knew everything there was to know about seals, but he didn't understand how Naruto could be near the demon on such a physical level that when he came out of his mediations, the demon's scent still lingered on him, that he could still feel the softness of her fur against his fingertips, and her voice rang in his ears.

Naruto smirked, knowing that Jiraiya saw him as a fascinating puzzle and nothing more. He shook his head, knowing that wasn't entirely true. The old man did view him as an amazing student – a boy who had similar potential to his father. _Father…_Naruto thought about that for a moment. Strange feelings passed through him every time he thought about that. The legendary Fourth was his father…a man who was viewed as almost a god to the people of Konoha, but he was human enough to be depressed like his own son…he was human enough to even_have_ a son…

For the first time in the three years that he knew about his father's identity, Naruto wished he could remember the man. The Kyuubi had told him the little she could remember about the tiny blond human who had the audacity – and the sheer power – to seal her in him. She said he had a voice that even all these years couldn't be completely erased from her memory, matched with equally haunting blue eyes and hair that Naruto's own mirrored. For a moment, Naruto wondered who his mother was. She must have been a powerful shinobi for his father to marry her. _If she was so powerful, then why did she die?_ Naruto asked himself for what seemed to be the thousandth time in three years. Jiraiya had told him she died giving birth to him, not of the Kyuubi's attack, but the Sannin had told him every time that he didn't know what happened during the woman's labor that took her life. _It's my fault she's dead…_Naruto told himself, knowing that these negative thoughts weren't a result of the Kyuubi's influence.

The Kyuubi had told him time and time again that he couldn't have done anything to harm his mother. She tried to comfort him, saying that it was just fate that the woman's life had been taken so early and, in a sick sort of way, when she pointed out that Naruto's mother would have probably died when she attacked the village anyway, it made him feel a little bit better. Naruto sighed, wishing he could simply picture his mother. He wondered if he looked anything like her or if he had her personality, smile, laugh…something that could connect him with the woman who gave her life for him.

Naruto pulled himself out of his thoughts when he felt a change in the Kyuubi's breathing. He didn't have to look at the kitsune to know that she had abruptly woken up for some reason. He immediately felt her unrest as she slowly got up, her chakra flaring as she tried to sense what had woken her up.

**Someone's here, kit…**

Naruto let his chakra follow hers, feeling exactly what she had just discovered – a chakra close by. Almost as soon as he felt the intruder's energy, he pulled himself out of his deep meditative state and found himself back in his bedroom. Naruto instinctively grabbed for a kunai from his pouch. Fingering the sharp edge of the blade, he silently got off of his bed, ignoring the cries his body made as it was forced to move after several hours of remaining completely still. Naruto studied the energy, placing it right above his apartment. For a moment, he wondered if it was Kiba – coming over for a midnight visit again – so he let his guard drop a bit. Observing the chakra for another moment, he found it to be familiar, but definitely not the Inuzuka he originally thought it was. _Ero-sennin…?_

Making sure not to make a sound, the blonde tiptoed towards the window, cursing the urge he had the other day to rearrange the small apartment. It would have been so much easier if his bed had still been next to the only window in the room. Continuing to growl over his apartment's new layout, he opened the window with one hand, still holding the kunai in the other. One of the first things Jiraiya taught him was to never trust someone's chakra – even if it was his own. The teen tried not to wince as his legs prickled with pain. Naruto gave himself a moment to berate himself over having mediated with his legs crossed. He learned a long time ago that blood flow all but stopped when he sat that way and he had to deal with the painful consequences for a long time afterwards.

For a moment, the teen wondered why exactly he had been mediating so long. Usually he only hung around the Kyuubi when he wanted to talk to her or needed to be near her for some reason – he never wanted to admit to himself that he usually went to her when he wanted someone to comfort him. _Kiba…_he reminded himself, the memories of the past day rushing to mind. He had to admit that Kiba had improved greatly in the past three years – to the point the dog-lover might have even excelled him in his training. _How could that be possible?_ Naruto wondered, remembering the grueling training Jiraiya put him through, then there was the long, mentally painful lessons the Kyuubi forced him to learn. How could Kiba have possibly improved faster than he did? If that was true and Kiba was actually _better _than him, Naruto knew he would force the teen into telling him how he trained by any means necessary.

Another thing he had been thinking over was his meeting with Akamaru. The puppy always seemed to be one of those yappy, annoying dogs back when he and Kiba were in the academy together, but when he heard the dog _speaking_ to him today, the canine was doing anything but barking nonsensically. The dog had a surprisingly deep "voice" for his tiny frame. When Akamaru tried to explain why Naruto could suddenly understand him, the blonde just sat there, dumbfounded. He fazed in and out of the dog's long explanation, getting that Kiba had found out about his unique healing abilities by accidently cutting himself with that old kunai. The dog said that mixing their blood created such a deep bond that Kiba's abilities were somehow transferred to him. After Akamaru walked him back to his apartment, Naruto immediately went to meditate, wanting to know what the Kyuubi thought about the puppy's reasoning. They both agreed that Akamaru was hiding something, but the bond he spoke about was real. It took Naruto a few minutes, but once he focused on nothing other than the Inuzuka, he felt something _different_. For a moment, he swore he could tell exactly where the teen was doing – what he was feeling – even though he was too far away to sense his chakra.

_Why did he feel like he was betraying someone?_ The teen wondered as he remembered that one moment, trying to remember everything he could. He had a feeling that betrayal had something to do with him.

Reminding himself why exactly he was pulled out of his mediation, Naruto moved silently off the cold floor and up onto the windowsill. He took a deep breath, pulling the kunai closer to himself, just in case this person wasn't the perverted author, and slipped out of the window and onto the building's wall. Using the smallest amount of chakra, he effortlessly walked up the wall and, once he reached the edge of the roof, he crouched down and peered up over the gutter.

**He doesn't look too good…**the Kyuubi pointed out as the blonde studied his teacher. Something seemed to be on the man's mind as he rested his head against a bent knee. Naruto knew the man well enough to recognize the position as a thoughtful one. He studied the pervert for a few seconds, his eyebrows furrowing when he saw streaks of water sliding down the man's cheeks. For a moment, Naruto wondered what exactly Jiraiya was doing, stunning himself into a stupor when he realized the man was _crying_. Jiraiya didn't cry, Naruto tried to point out to himself, trying to remember a single instance in the past three years that he had seen _any_ emotion from the man – besides the usual perversion, happiness, and other shallow emotions that defined the man.

_What could have happened?_ Naruto asked the Kyuubi, knowing that she was just as dumbfounded as he was. Jiraiya couldn't possibly be crying…he was one of the strongest people Naruto had ever met. The blonde frowned, remembering those intricate marks he had once seen lacing up the man's powerful forearms. _Orochimaru?_ He wondered, guessing something must have gotten Jiraiya worked up over his ex-lover. Watching the man for another moment proved his idea to be wrong. Every now and again, it seemed like Jiraiya was looking down at the apartment building underneath him. Knowing he was the only person living in the building, Naruto was flooded with a whole host of new questions.

Now knowing that this man had to be his teacher, Naruto put the kunai away and silently climbed onto the roof. He slowly walked towards the man, knowing that Jiraiya was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice his student standing right in front of him. _What could have gotten him so worked up?_

**I have no idea, kit…you didn't do anything lately that might have upset him…**

_Besides Kiba…_Naruto pointed out, hoping that wasn't the reason the man was so upset. He had told Jiraiya about Kiba's midnight visit in the morning, not knowing who else to talk to about it. Having never felt things like that before, he was at a loss for words – and what to think – and went to the man for help. Using the juvenile, "hypothetical friend" approach, he asked the man what he should do. Jiraiya saw through his questions and immediately started demanding to know who this "friend's friend" was. He let a few details accidentally slip about Kiba's personality under his teacher's scrutiny and Jiraiya was able to put two and two together. The man seemed surprised, but, strangely enough, almost happy for him. _So why is he crying now?_ Naruto wondered as he closed the gap between himself and the pervert, kneeling down to look at Jiraiya at eye-level when he reached the man.

"Oi, Ero-sennin, I was trying to sleep. What do you want?" Naruto asked, masking his concern with his customary impatience. He didn't know why, but he was worried about the man who had trained him so harshly some may have called it abuse, but Naruto knew Jiraiya had been pushing him to his limits because he saw so much potential in him.

"Oh…Naruto…" Jiraiya sounded somewhat surprised when he finally looked up from the roof and saw the blonde in front of him. He felt fear instantly grip him as he reminded himself that the child kneeling before him – the brat who had been the bane of his existence for the past three years – was none other than his own blood…his only living family…his grandson. "I…um…" He didn't know how to even start telling the boy what he himself had just learned.

"If you're going to annoy me, next time just come in. I was comfortable on my bed…" Naruto lied about his "comfort," fighting the urge to rub his aching legs. "So, what do you want?" he repeated, keeping his curiosity out of his voice. The last thing he wanted to do was let his teacher know he was intrigued, and disturbed, by the man's presence and current emotional state.

Jiraiya quickly wiped his face, for the first time realizing he must have started crying at some point, then looked back at his _grandson_. "I just found out something…about your family…" The blonde raised an eyebrow and Jiraiya was hit with another pang of emotional pain. He looked so much like his father, it was eerie. Naruto never knew the man – he couldn't even remember the Fourth – but he resembled that blonde brat to the point, one could easily mistake Naruto for his father (when the man was a teen, of course). His voice, his mannerisms, his looks…everything about him was almost identical to his father. Jiraiya watched Naruto, surprising himself into complete silence when he saw _himself_ in the boy. The blonde sitting in front of him had a personality that was so much like his own, he couldn't believe he never saw it before. Even small features in the boy's face were so much like his own, Jiraiya mentally hit himself for never seeing it before. Naruto may have gotten his blue eyes and blonde hair from his father, but the rest of his features were entirely from his grandparents. He had Tsunade's jaw, nose, and even her high cheekbones, but the shape of the boy's eyes and his build were a mirror of his own.

"…they're all dead…so what?" Naruto asked, noticing his teacher's close observations of him (and was slightly crept out by it). Jiraiya shook his head, a small smile coming to his face. _What the hell is up with him?_ Naruto wondered.

**…oh, god…**

_Nani?_ Naruto could hear the amazement in the Kyuubi's voice as she realized something that had slipped by him. "Ero-sennin…if you're just going to mentally undress me, I'm going back to bed…" he joked, hoping that his comment would pull Jiraiya out of his uncharacteristic mood.

"Sit down, Naruto…" Jiraiya said softly, patting the shingles next to him. Naruto looked at him curiously for a moment, but did as the old man asked and plopped down next to him. "…your family…they're not all dead…"

"Nani!?" Naruto almost jumped back up, ready to go kill whoever had abandoned him when he was just a baby, but froze when he saw the pain in his teacher's eyes. "I had no aunts, uncles, or siblings…so who's left?" Naruto asked, knowing his father to be an only child and that he was his father's first, and only, child.

"Your grandparents…" Jiraiya said softly, knowing better than to add cousins into the mix. Naruto wasn't ready to know about the darker side of his family – his mother's half. He took a deep breath, feeling the boy's gaze burning holes in him. "You have to understand…your grandmother didn't know about you until a few years ago…and your grandfather just found out…" He looked at Naruto, a glimmer of understanding coming to the boy's eyes, but there were still so many questions that the blonde left unasked, knowing his teacher would answer them when he was ready. "Your grandfather…he didn't even know your father was his…if he had known, things would have been so different…"

"Who is he?" Naruto asked, part of him hoping that his gut feeling was right. Even if he wasn't right, Naruto knew that he wouldn't harm the man for not taking care of him – he didn't even know he had a son, let alone a grandson. That realization in itself must have hurt him enough.

"…me…" Jiraiya all but mouthed, barely able to even admit it aloud. He took a shaky breath as he watched Naruto, the boy's disbelief clearly showing. "I just found out…he…he was my son…" He bit his lip, forcing himself not to cry again. He closed his eyes, able to picture the Yondaime perfectly. That brat, too, looked so much like him; Jiraiya couldn't believe he never saw it before. Even if he had, he knew he would have never let anyone know about it. The Hatake clan deserved the blonde after all the heartbreak they went through to have a child – then to lose their only biological son in such a dishonorable fashion. Jiraiya thanked whatever god existed that his parents were long dead before the White Fang took his own life. The poor couple wouldn't have been able to take such news – especially his mother, knowing he was her only son… _At least there still is Kakashi…_Jiraiya reminded himself, biting his lip as he tried to put together what exactly the Copy Cat Nin was to Naruto. _Cousin?...that's just twisted…_he thought, then putting Iruka into the mix and started to get a migraine.

"How could you not know…he was your son?" Naruto asked, still in shock, unable to understand how his own grandfather couldn't know he had a son – especially when Jiraiya _taught_ his own child. He must have seen something in the Yondaime that reminded him of himself.

"I had only slept with two people by the time he was born…and Orochimaru couldn't exactly have a child – as strange as he is…" Jiraiya joked softly, looking up at the clear sky and remembering the man he had fallen head over heels for. If only he could have saved him… "I had only slept with your grandmother once…well, before he was born, that is…she hid her pregnancy from everyone and gave your father away when he was born. No one knew about the switch, except her and the woman your father believed to be his mother…"

"Did he ever know about you?" Naruto wondered out loud, noticing the man wince slightly at his question. "I take that as a yes…" _How could you not know your own student is your son?_

**How could you not know your student is your grandson?** The Kyuubi pointed out, having already put all the pieces together for herself even before Jiraiya told the boy, but she didn't say anything to Naruto. She didn't want her container to know who his grandmother was unless Jiraiya wanted to tell him.

"No, I don't think he did…I mean, I hope he didn't know…I wasn't there for his wedding, when he was named Hokage…when he or you were born…I'm no father to him…" Jiraiya said softly. He wondered momentarily what it would have been like to know that his favorite student was his son back when the blonde was still alive. Even if the brat didn't know, Jiraiya would have been able to feel fatherly pride (but not show it) when he became a chuunin…a jounin, then ANBU. He would have been there when he became Hokage. For a moment, Jiraiya wondered if he would have gone after Orochimaru if he had known of his son's existence. _I would have been there for the Kyuubi's attack…I could have saved him…_

"So…you're my grandfather?" Naruto asked, still not entirely able to grasp the idea of having an actual blood relative sitting in front of him – a man he both respected and looked up to. He was so close, Naruto could reach out to touch him…a man he never believed to even exist. Realization that he wasn't entirely alone in this world hit the blonde hard enough to make him forget to breathe for a moment as he looked at his _grandfather_ – his family. "…what now?"

"…make up for lost time…" Jiraiya replied softly, hesitantly bringing a hand up to the boy and resting it on his shoulder. He felt the boy's body shake slightly, then suddenly the blonde fell against his chest. Before he realized what he was doing, Jiraiya wrapped his arms around the teen and rested his head on top of Naruto's. For the first time in many years, Jiraiya felt truly content as he felt a new batch of tears begin sliding down his face. As he buried his head into the blonde's mop of hair, he felt his shirt become soaked with all the tears his grandson had been holding back for so long. _I won't make the same mistakes with him, _Jiraiya promised himself as he tightened his arms around the boy, knowing that nothing would stop him from taking care of his grandson as he should have done for his own child.

_We're not alone anymore…_

**I know, kit…** Naruto was so emotional over finding out about his grandfather, he didn't notice the reserve in the Kyuubi's voice or how, just for a moment, her prison lit up brighter than it ever had been before. Keeping her thoughts from her container for a moment, the Kyuubi cursed. **You won't take him from me that easily, human…**

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Hinata sighed, rubbing her aching temples as she had to listen to her father's plans for her wedding for what seemed to be the thousandth time. _We're not getting married for some time…and the entire family hasn't even agreed to let Kankuro into the family…_she thought to herself, but forgave the man for his impatience. She, being the Hyuuga heiress, had to have an unforgettable wedding and for that to happen, much planning was involved. She doubted there would be many problems with the rest of the clan agreeing to her marriage, but there was still that small chance. She took a deep breath, trying to remember what exactly her father had been talking about tonight. _He's probably still on decorations…_she mentally shook her head. Hiashi couldn't decide what kind of flowers to have at the wedding – plants that were native to Suna, Konoha, or both villages. He didn't want to offend any powerful Suna leaders by having the entire ceremony styled in Konoha fashion – he still had another daughter and nephew that he could use for more political leverage through marriage. She inwardly laughed, knowing that Neji was already a lost cause. Then again, he was in a relationship with Gaara, so the Hyuuga might actually let him off on his "familial duties" as the future leader of the Branch Family. Hinata promised herself that as soon as she was named leader of the family, she would rid the family of the horrendous ideas surrounding the Main and Branch families. She knew that Neji deserved to be the heir, not her. Accepting that wasn't that hard and, having already made up her mind (and knowing better than to discuss it with her father), she knew that as soon as she became the family's leader, she would renounce her title and give it to her cousin. No longer having to remain in Konoha because of her family, she would move to Suna to be with Kankuro.

The Puppet Master didn't know about her plans yet, so he was constantly wondering what they would do when they were married. He understood Hinata's duties as her family's heiress, but he also had his own problems – being his brother's most trusted advisor, ambassador to Konoha, _and_ he had already been named Gaara's heir if anything should happen to his little brother. Needless to say, Kankuro needed to live in Suna. Kankuro had lately been talking about perhaps living in both villages – one month in Suna, then the next in Konoha. Hinata knew that wouldn't work, especially now that the rumors of the Sound Village preparing to attack were increasing. Kankuro had to remain in Suna and she was needed in Konoha. _I can't give up my title until I can name Neji the new leader…_Hinata reminded herself, knowing that if she was to do so before she had the power to give her cousin the position he deserved, Hanabi would become the heiress and she followed their father's negative opinion of the Branch Family.

She looked up from her hands, noticing her fiancé's obvious annoyance at his future father-in-law's need to plan every single detail. Kankuro rolled his eyes as Hiashi, yet again, pulled out a scroll of Suna's flowers that he forced Kankuro to bring from his village. The young man winked at Hinata as Hiashi compared the desert flowers to the familiar flowers of Konoha. "Hyuuga-sama, I know you want us to be part of the wedding plans, but I'm not one for flower arrangements and Hinata was supposed to meet with the Godaime half an hour ago…" Kankuro lied, hoping Hiashi hadn't already learned to read his body language. Truthfully, he was the only one out of his family who had any aesthetic taste and Hinata's meeting was tomorrow. Hinata had to bite her lip to stop herself from smiling at Kankuro's obvious lie. Hiashi, on the other hand, didn't pay attention to his daughter's schedule or his son-in-law's personality enough to know that Kankuro was lying.

"The Godaime! Why didn't you remind me, Hinata?" Hiashi reprimanded, quickly looking up from the scrolls. Kankuro had to cover his mouth in order to hide his smirk, knowing that would work on the man. He was one of the few people that still held Tsunade on some kind of pedestal. Both Kankuro and Hinata knew her sensei well enough they knew that, even if Hinata was supposed to meet her several hours ago, Tsunade wouldn't notice she was late. She would probably find the Hokage sleeping or drinking no matter what time she got there.

"Gomen, tou-san…I completely lost track of time," Hinata lied, knowing that she had been sitting in the same chair for the past two hours and seventeen minutes. Constantly checking the time was the only way she was able to stop herself from imagining ways of somehow sneaking out. Last time they had one of these meetings, she thought of quite a few painful ways of shutting her father up.

Kankuro, following Hinata's example, looked out the window to "check" what time it was, even though he, much like his fiancée, was keeping a close watch on the exact time. Thinking of something that could get him out of the planning as easily as Hinata, he pretended to be surprised, gently hitting himself in the head. "I'm sorry, sir, but I completely forgot that I was supposed to be meeting with my brother to go over some treaty negotiations," Kankuro lied, knowing for a fact his brother was only a few doors down doing quite unmentionable things with Hiashi's only nephew. Somehow those two had been able to keep their relationship from Hiashi even though it was obvious to everyone else who had half a brain. Kankuro mentally twitched, remembering how sickeningly cute those two had become recently; Gaara had started to turn into one of those daydreaming people, forgetting about his surroundings and, instead, sitting there like some kind of lovesick puppy. It was even worse than before their relationship began – at least back then, all Gaara did was follow Neji like some kind of obsessed stalker and plan his days in Konoha around his observations of Neji's schedule. The one time he had let his concern over his brother's behavior slip to Hinata, she laughed, telling him that Neji was acting quite similarly, just not to the slightly creepy extent Gaara did.

Hiashi let out a huff of air, mumbling something about forgetful teens, and excused them with a wave of his hand before he went back to studying the flowers in front of him. Somehow while still keeping straight faces, the couple quickly left the room and got halfway down the hallway before Hinata finally broke down and let out a giggle.

"Kuso, your father's obsessing way too much over this!" Kankuro exclaimed softly as he pulled the girl into his arms and rested his chin on the top of her head. Hinata let her head rest against his muscular chest, wrapping her arms around his middle and gently nuzzling him. Kankuro smiled, kissing her head while tightening his hold on her. "I still say we should elope…then I won't have to hear another word about the damn flowers…"

"Kankuro, please…I know my father. He would never accept you into the family if we didn't have a proper wedding," Hinata said softly into his chest. She kept the rest of her thoughts to herself, remembering how she always imagined having a big wedding with all her family around her. She was willing to do anything to stay with the brunette, but to go against her family as well as her dream was just too much. She knew that Kankuro would marry her no matter what, but she needed her family there with her and, no matter how she tried to explain it, Kankuro just wouldn't understand. The entire Hyuuga clan had to accept him into the family or else their marriage wouldn't be recognized by them. Kankuro could marry her with or without his siblings by his side, but his family wasn't like hers – they were, well, different. Hinata loved Gaara and Temari, but she had to admit that the three were the strangest family she had ever met – especially considering all they went through as children. They didn't have the traditions, the various intricate relations, and family secrets like other, normal, families had. Kankuro couldn't possibly understand that he had to be accepted by the family in order to marry her and that his love just wasn't enough to gain their approval. His status made it easier for the family to agree to their joining, but the fact he wasn't from a large, famed clan like their own made it far more difficult for the whole Hyuuga family to understand him.

"Hinata, I don't need his acceptance…or anyone else's. I love _you_ and nothing they do or say will change that…" Kankuro said softly, hugging her tightly. Lately, this conversation over her family's approval had been coming up more and more recently, but Kankuro didn't know what to say to make his fiancée feel better. It was starting to annoy him that Hinata wouldn't tell him what was wrong, but he would rather she tell him when she was ready to than force her to.

"I know that…demo…" Hinata sighed softly, not sure how to even start explaining her concerns to Kankuro. She hadn't even tried telling him that there was a chance her family wouldn't let them get married. She didn't even know how to begin. She pulled away from the young man and looked up at him. His Kabuki makeup, usually flawless, was starting to fade – probably because of all the times he held his head in his hands during this past meeting with her father. She knew she was probably one of the very few people to ever see him without any kind of makeup on at all enough times to recognize him – Temari and Gaara being the only others to see him often without his somewhat frightening façade. Hinata brought a hand up to cup his cheek as she smiled, remembering how she had been scared by his mask the first time she met him. For some time after their first meeting, she wondered if his makeup was to hide some kind of disfigurement and, if so, what kind of feature he could have when his two siblings were images of perfection. Hinata bit back a chuckle, remembering the first time he had introduced himself to her as someone other than a fellow genin during the chuunin exams.

--flashback (hey, I had to have at least one, ne?)--

"Oi, Hinata…some guy is here to see you!" Hinata winced when she heard her sister's voice echo throughout the empty mansion. Just about everyone had gone out to congratulate the new Hokage, but she had lied to her father, saying she wasn't feeling well. Hanabi had remained home as well, complaining of a similar stomach ache. Hinata knew her sister was faking it – Hanabi just wanted to know why she didn't want to go see Tsunade like the rest of the family.

Hinata looked down at the books strewn across her desk, knowing that somewhere in the medical literature there was something that could explain the strange things she had witnessed at the chuunin exams. _Naruto…there's something about him…_Hinata thought to herself as she closed the books and stacked them neatly back on their bookshelves. Once every book was back in its place, she let herself wonder who would come to visit her. Kiba and Shino were the only boys who had ever come to the Hyuuga mansion for her, but Hanabi knew both teens and wouldn't have announced either one of them as 'some guy.' It couldn't be someone like Rock Lee or one of the other genin she had taken the chuunin exam with. Hanabi knew most of the other boys that Hinata herself knew, so it must be someone that neither of them had met. _But she let him in?_ Hinata wondered as she started walking towards the main entrance to the mansion. As soon as she reached the landing to go downstairs, Hinata froze as her sister walked by her with a dumbfounded expression.

"…so pretty…" Hanabi mumbled as she shuffled by in a daze. Hinata raised an eyebrow, wondering exactly who could be here. She swore she never heard her sister say 'pretty' before, let alone be so amazed by something. Taking the flight of stairs two at a time, Hinata flew down the stairs, one hand resting on her kunai pouch – just in case her sister had been tricked by someone. It wouldn't have been the first time someone had the audacity to try attacking a Hyuuga at home.

Hinata slid into the main hallway and froze when she saw the young man standing with his back to her. He was looking up at the portraits of her father's predecessors. She noticed immediately that he wasn't wearing a uniform, but a more formal outfit. Even from a distance, she could tell he had on many thick layers of material that – to any normal person – would have become unbearable in this warm weather. She was far enough away that he didn't hear her come in, so she stood there studying him a moment. His outermost set of clothing was a beautifully embroidered overcoat. The lengthy, black coat had several colors sewn into it in various shapes – the most common of which were golden triangles. The triangles came in sets of two, their tips just touching and, as she looked at the eerily familiar shapes more, she nearly laughed at her first observation. They weren't triangles, but hourglasses – the symbol for Sunagure. For a moment, she thought about grabbing for a kunai, wondering what someone from Suna was doing here. She let go of that distrust, however, as she watched him slowly walk along the row of portraits. From the way he moved, he was in no position to attack her with all those layers on. She couldn't see much else on the young man, but felt slightly more at ease, knowing that even if the stranger was some kind of assassin, he would find the clothing he wore to be cumbersome.

"Can I help you?" Hinata asked softly, finally breaking the silence. The young man whirled around, obviously surprised by her presence. _He must not be a shinobi if he couldn't sense I was here…_Hinata thought to herself as she stepped closer to him. She looked up at his face and immediately understood what her sister meant before as she drifted by. _He's beautiful…_she thought as she found herself unable to tear herself away from his gentle eyes. His hair, which was tightly pulled back into a ponytail – was a golden chestnut and, in a way, Hinata found it to be familiar. Before she got a chance to wonder why his hair – of all things – looked familiar, the young man smiled at her and she lost her train of thought.

"Hinata-sama…" the young man bowed respectfully and Hinata found herself returning the gesture. His soft voice, too, seemed familiar, but Hinata couldn't place where she had heard it before. "I'm sorry for coming without an invitation, but I wanted to speak with you." Hinata bit her lip, now understanding how women in Jiraiya-sama's books could swoon by simply hearing a man's voice.

"With me?" Hinata finally was able to squeak, her old nervous habit of playing with her fingers returning in full force as she looked to the ground, blushing furiously. If this boy was forced here by her father, she knew she could never forgive the man. For the past few months, Hiashi had been hinting that it was about time she find an appropriate suitor.

"Un…I was wondering if you might…I mean…" Hinata looked up when she heard the boy start to stutter, getting just as flustered as she usually did around anyone. She took a few steps towards the young man, wondering what could get someone as handsome as him to _blush_. Finding herself smiling at his pink cheeks, Hinata felt a little less nervous around the young man and she waited until he got the courage to continue speaking. "Um…the next time I'm in Konoha…would you like…t-to go to…to dinner with me?" the boy rushed the last phrase of his question, but Hinata understood him completely and felt her face instantly warm up. No one had ever asked her out before – let alone someone as handsome as him.

"Oh…um…gomen…but I don't even know your name," Hinata replied sheepishly, noticing the boy's head drop slightly in defeat. For a moment, they stood in uncomfortable silence until Hinata spoke up again. "N-not that I wouldn't…like to go…" she hurriedly added, hoping that the young man wouldn't take back his offer. He seemed quite sweet and, from his mode of dress, a high enough status that her father wouldn't balk at the mere idea of the boy taking her out.

"…it's Kankuro…we took the chuunin exams together…" he said softly, looking up at Hinata. Hinata felt her mouth drop open as she looked at the boy over again. His hair _was_ identical to the strange Puppet Master's…his voice softer than she remembered – but the only time she ever heard him speak was during matches, so it was understandable that his tone was different. His face, however, was entirely different without all the Kabuki makeup on. She had thought him to be disfigured during the exams, but he was anything but. His face was perfect in every sense of the word. His eyes just the right shape and size to fit his face, which seemed to be struggling to hold onto the last roundness of childhood. His lips and nose, like his eyes, couldn't be described as anything but perfect.

"…I-I'm sorry…without your makeup on, I didn't recognize you," Hinata admitted, smiling when she saw his cheeks turn an even brighter pink. He was definitely different than the genin she remembered at the chuunin exams. _Wait…isn't he related to those other two shinobi from Suna…_Hinata wondered, shivering slightly when she remembered the cold-hearted, bloodthirsty, red-headed boy.

"Heh, my brother and sister are still a little surprised when they see me without it on," Kankuro replied softly. "…aren't you supposed to be at the celebration?" he asked curiously. Hinata nodded her head, wondering how he knew she was home and not at said party. "I was there with my brother. I noticed you weren't there. I started to ask around, but that strange bug boy told me where you were. I'm sorry if I was too bold…but we have to leave in the morning…and I didn't want to go…without asking you…" Kankuro ranted on for a moment, stopping when he heard Hinata giggle. "Eh?"

"No one…has ever asked me out before. It was very sweet of you," Hinata replied, trying to ignore how quickly her heart had begun beating. Kankuro took a few steps towards her, closing the distance between them. He finally stopped when he was right in front of her – close enough for her to touch. Now her heart seemed to be pounding in her ears as he towered over her.

"I find that hard to believe…a girl as pretty, kind, and smart as you…" Hinata giggled at Kankuro's description of her. No one ever called her pretty or smart. He blushed, wondering if he said something wrong. Hinata looked up at him and gave him a genuine smile and the Puppet Master felt his blush creep down his neck. "You're beautiful…"

Hinata felt her own face reddening anew as the Suna shinobi bent down low enough to look directly into her eyes. Before Hinata realized what he was doing, he brushed his lips against hers, sending a shiver down her back. For a moment, it seemed as though time stopped – the sensation of his soft skin against her own and a smell distinctly his becoming etched in Hinata's memory. And, almost as suddenly as the moment began, it abruptly ended as Kankuro's lips left her own._ He…kissed me? _Hinata thought, dumbfounded as the young man quickly backed away.

"…gomen…I didn't mean…I mean…" Kankuro began saying nervously, praying he hadn't been too out of line with the Hyuuga heiress. He stopped mid-sentence when he heard her softly giggle. Hinata took a step towards him, noticing how short she was in comparison to him when the top of her head only reached his collar bones. She stood up on the tips of her toes, tilting her head back so she could see the handsome teen's face. Kankuro fought the urge to step back again, not used to having someone so close to him without being a threat to his life.

"…you…can kiss me again…if you like…" Hinata said softly, her warm breath hitting Kankuro's bare neck. Almost instinctively, Kankuro slid his arms around her middle and held her gently as he bent down and pressed his lips against hers, this time letting the soft, amazing pressure stay there for some time. Hinata found herself wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him, not wanting to break away from the young man. A small part of her tried to keep its reserve, reminding her that she didn't even know the boy kissing her, but she didn't care about that. She just knew that there was something about him that was unlike anything she had ever known before and, having now felt that, she knew she couldn't let it go.

"Hanabi, Hinata!" Hinata felt her body freeze and felt Kankuro's body stiffen under her hands, when she heard her father's voice right outside the mansion. Kankuro gave her one last peck on the lips before reluctantly pulling away and moving back several steps as the front door began to open. Hinata took deep, calming breaths – praying that her face wasn't as red as it felt – as she watched her father, along with several other family members, walk into the house. Everyone froze, all conversation ending, the instant they saw the young man in the hallway. "…who the hell are you?" Hiashi demanded, his white eyes glaring at Kankuro.

"I'm one of the top advisors to the Kazekage and the ambassador to Konoha, sir," he replied softly, bowing to the Hyuuga. Hinata looked at the relatives, seeing her cousin's knowing gaze as he raised an eyebrow at her. She gave him a look that they both knew to mean 'later.' Neji barely nodded his head, acknowledging her unspoken promise. "I'm terribly sorry for the intrusion, but it was urgent that I speak with Hinata-sama about a proposal before leaving. We were hoping she would one day come to Sunagure to train under our best medical teams. I saw her natural abilities in the chuunin exams and my brother, the Kazekage, has already agreed to let her spend up to a year in our village. We would be honored to strengthen our bonds with Konoha by exchanging knowledge with a mind as gifted as your daughter's."

Hinata felt her mouth drop open, not having to look at her father to know he had done the same. _Kazekage…his brother's the Kazekage?!...did he really mean taking me to Suna?_ Hinata wondered, turning to look at Kankuro and knowing that he hadn't lied about taking her to Suna, but there was something he hadn't been entirely truthful about.

"This…this is quite sudden. I apologize for my cold behavior, but our family has always been victim to assassination attempts. We can never be too cautious, especially where our children are concerned. Not many people are welcome in our home – especially to be alone with our heiress. Your proposal is quite generous, and we are equally honored that you would consider my daughter for such a privilege, but I must speak about it with the rest of our clan before making a decision," Hiashi said, amazement in his voice. Hinata had never heard her father at such a loss for words that he began to nervously rant before. She knew how worthless he thought she was – Kankuro's statement must have hit him like a rock. He never thought of her as anything special…powerful in any way. _Maybe this will finally change his mind_, Hinata wondered as she smiled at the young man.

"Tou-san, I would like to go," Hinata said softly more for Kankuro's ears than her father's. The young Suna advisor smiled slightly, the pink that had finally left his cheeks starting to return as he looked at Hinata.

"Perhaps in a few years," Hiashi said, his tone having already returned to its customary coldness. "I'm sorry I can't give you an answer right now, but in matters concerning our heiress, we must take every precaution to protect her. To go to Suna, without so much as bodyguards, is impossible until she has at least reached jounin status; and to find trustworthy Branch family members to guard her takes time and years of training."

Hinata felt her heart plummet, knowing that she might never become a jounin and that her father would put off finding her bodyguards just so that he could keep her here, under his control. "Of course, I understand your concern for your daughter's safety, but she would be treated as any other ambassador to our village. We would have our best guards – the Kazekage's own – taking care of her," Kankuro replied, pulling his eyes away from Hinata long enough to look at Hiashi. "I would see to it personally that she would have the best protection possible." For a moment, Hinata swore she saw the young man wink in her direction. She had to stop herself from smiling back at him and, instead, looked at her father pleadingly.

"I will think about your offer and consult the rest of our clan before making any decision," Hiashi stated firmly. Knowing that to be the end of this conversation, no matter what she or Kankuro said, Hinata inwardly sighed. "Now, will you be staying for dinner…?" Hiashi let his question trail off, obviously annoyed that Kankuro had yet to say his name to the group of Hyuugas.

"Iie, I must be getting back to the Kazekage. There is still much to be done before we return to Suna in the morning," Kankuro replied, ignoring Hiashi's aggravation while simultaneously snubbing the man with subtle changes in tone and inflection. It was an art form among the old clans – a thing Hinata had never been able to do – but she knew that Kankuro had just gained great face with her family by showing his mastery of it.

"M-may I walk you back to the village?" Hinata asked, knowing that, with that small question, she had finally bested her father. Hiashi couldn't do anything to stop her unless he wanted to offend Kankuro by refusing Hinata's request and suggesting he wasn't worthy enough to have the Hyuuga heiress escort him out of the clan's estates. For the first time in her life, Hinata was grateful her family still believed in all those old, strict traditions on status and respect.

"I would be honored, Hinata-sama," Kankuro replied truthfully, smiling brightly as he glanced at her. He looked back at her father and bowed respectfully. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Hyuuga-sama." Before Hiashi got the chance to retort, Kankuro and Hinata slipped out of the mansion and started along the winding path between the thick lines of trees that led back to the village.

"W-when you come back to Konoha, I don't think my father won't disapprove of you taking me to dinner," Hinata said softly as soon as she was sure they were far enough away from the mansion that no one in the family could use their Bloodline Limit to spy on her and the young man. "I think you were the first person to ever offend my father so…acceptably."

"My father sent me to many schools when I was young. He wanted me to be as learned and sophisticated as possible so I could be a great leader one day," Kankuro replied. "Those lessons on higher classes and how they think helps when I have to deal with the elders in my village."

"And you only use good manners when you want to impress someone?" Hinata asked, having a feeling the boy was quite similar to Neji and herself. From the soft chuckle, she knew she had read the young man right. "Why did you come here today?"

Kankuro froze, staring at Hinata, his eyes trained on her face. "To see you…to ask you to dinner one day…why?" he replied questioningly, confusion on his handsome face. Hinata finally stopped walking and turned around to look at the teen from Suna.

"…why me? I-I wasn't that special in the chuunin exams, I'm not as pretty or as smart as you think I am…I…y-you don't know a-anything about me," Hinata finally pointed out, her stuttering starting to return as she became more nervous, wondering why the perfect teen had picked her.

"You're wrong. You were so strong when you fought against your cousin. You were…breathtaking," Kankuro admitted, his face warming up again as he studied her face. "After the exams were over, I did everything I could to find out more about you. My brother thinks I've lost my mind, but I can't stop thinking about you – how you gave everything to prove yourself to your cousin, how you were so kind to everyone…how you smile nervously when people are talking to you, playing with your fingers…"

Hinata smiled sheepishly, realizing she had been doing both since he had started speaking to her. "…how did you know I want to be a medic nin?" she asked, remembering his proposal back in the mansion. "Was your offer real? Or was it just some excuse you gave my father?"

"Someone as kind and gentle as you couldn't be anything but a medic nin…and I've heard how you have a growing collection of medical literature. As for my offer, it is as real as you want it to be. Gaara doesn't know about it yet, but I know he would be willing to have you come to Suna with us. You must have learned that Suna has some of the best medicines and most advanced medical procedures in the world. Our village is one of the very few that is willing to spread our discoveries – especially when it comes to medicine. To keep live-saving knowledge from those who could benefit from it is…horrendous. Your new Hokage knows about our opinions firsthand if you don't believe me. I've heard she's spent a great deal of time in Suna." Kankuro sighed, still seeing disbelief in Hinata's eyes. "I know you don't believe me, but I know you have so much potential. You might even become more revered than Tsunade herself if you started medical training now."

"How do you know so much about medicine?" Hinata asked softly, looking into Kankuro's gentle gaze. She knew he wasn't lying, which only surprised her even more. No one except her teammates knew about her love of medicine or how she respected Tsunade for her famous abilities. He chuckled quietly as he started walking again, wrapping one arm around Hinata's middle and pulled her along.

"Gaara…when he was little, I was determined to find a way to save him from the demon inside of him…so I studied every aspect of medicine trying to find some kind of magical cure, but there isn't anything to help him, so all I can do is give him sedatives to help him sleep when he really needs it, vitamins when he can't even smell food without becoming sick – remembering the last time he had to feed that creature in him – and, sometimes, I give him new, experimental, drugs that affect his personality. Every now and again, I get to see someone besides the paranoid, crazed, sadistic, hell-sent monster I call a little brother."

Hinata could hear the distress in the teen's voice and could equally feel his pain, knowing what it was like to not know how to help someone you cared deeply for. She remembered all the times Neji was forced to do something or suffer the painful consequences simply because his father was born second. Or how Naruto was mocked by almost everyone, even though he was one of the greatest shinobi she had ever met. Both boys had so much to live for, but their current positions left them in situations far beyond their control and she had no way to help either of them.

"Maybe I could help him one day…" Hinata said softly, looking up at Kankuro and seeing a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "I would truly love the opportunity to go to Suna to study…but I am my family's future leader. I can't leave so easily…"

"I know…but the option is always there if you want to reconsider it," Kankuro replied, smiling gently when he looked away from the Hyuuga long enough to see that they had reached the end of the Hyuuga estates. He glanced back at her, quickly brushing his lips against hers, before stepping away from her. "Oh, I almost forgot. Tsunade wants you to go to the Hokage Tower first thing tomorrow morning for your first medic al lesson. She already talked it over with your genin teacher and everything's been arranged for you to take lessons full-time along with training and missions with your team."

"…h-how…?" Hinata stared at the boy in wonder, unable to grasp the idea that the Hokage herself – the most famous medical mind to exist – was willing to teach her. "B-but…"

"What's your favorite food?" Kankuro asked suddenly, smiling at the girl's shocked state.

"…um…s-sushi…" Hinata replied without so much as a thought, then remembered what Kankuro had originally come to the mansion to ask her and she blushed as the teen waved before turning to leave.

"Sushi it is, then," Kankuro called back as he walked out into the busy village streets, still filled with vendors and games from today's celebrations. Within moments, he disappeared into the crowds, leaving a trail of starry-eyed girls (and some boys) in his wake.

"…a date?" a voice from behind Hinata asked, startling her enough for the heiress to 'eep' loudly as she spun around. Neji smirked, pleased with his ability to sneak up on Hinata. "Your father won't approve."

"…N-Neji nii-san, p-please don't tell him. I-I like Kankuro. He's very k-kind…"

"You don't know him. Their entire family is strange…his brother, then there's his sister…" Neji retorted, glaring at the crowd of stunned people as they slowly came out of their stupors after seeing such a beautiful teen walk by. "I don't trust him or his motives. He wants something from you, Hinata-sama…"

"…y-you have to be more t-trusting," Hinata retorted, using all the courage she could muster to stand up to her cousin. He snorted, rolling his white eyes, before taking a deep breath and gesturing for Hinata to follow him back.

"The day I trust that brat is the day you don't stutter when talking to me," he replied, glancing over at his younger cousin fleetingly, noticing a difference in the girl's walk. It seemed far more bouncy than it had ever been before. "…you better do well in your lessons with the Godaime. I hear that brat had to all but sell his soul to get her to agree to get up that early in the morning…"

"Arigatou, nii-san," Hinata replied, a genuine smile lighting up her face as she took off at a quick sprint back to the mansion, her head filled with dreams of becoming a medic nin and a certain mysterious, gorgeous teen who had somehow taken a liking to her.

--end flashback--

Hinata hugged Kankuro, smiling as she thought back to that day. Since then, Neji had become much more accepting of her, her lessons with Tsunade had started paying off, and her life had otherwise become far happier than she had ever knew it could be. "What _did_ you have to do to get my lessons from Tsunade?" she asked, surprising her fiancée with the seemingly randomness of her question.

"It wasn't as much as everyone thought…she just asked me to give her all our medial knowledge on the heart. She never explained why, but it seemed like she needed it to save someone. I hope she did," Kankuro replied, holding Hinata as tightly as he could without worrying about injuring her. He didn't want to remember back then, before he knew Hinata well enough to simply talk to the girl – to sit there and laugh with her, to hold her in his arms, to tickle her until she cried. "I would have given my own heart if she had asked it…" he admitted truthfully, knowing he would have done anything for Hinata's happiness.

"The heart?" Hinata asked, remembering all the times Tsunade had given Sakura and her the, now, customary problem of saving someone on the brink of death – someone who had a terrible heart defect. _Could it be the same person?_ Hinata wondered, looking up at Kankuro and smiling, glad she didn't know anyone with such a deadly defect. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle watching them die like that, knowing that even with all her medical knowledge, she would be unable to save them.

"Oi, don't change the subject by talking about medicine. There was something you wanted to tell me before you started daydreaming," Kankuro said softly, resting his head against Hinata's soft hair. "It was something about the wedding, I think."

"I love you, but I want to be married here…with my family accepting us," Hinata finally said after months of debating how to tell her fiancée about it. "It's the only way…I could…" She added softly, looking up at Kankuro as she felt his arms loosen their grip around her.

"So, if your family doesn't accept me, you won't marry me?" Kankuro asked, an unfamiliar coldness coming to his voice. Hinata couldn't find her voice, so she slowly nodded into his chest. "I am willing to give up my positions in Suna and move here for you in a _second_, and not regret it, if you asked it of me, but you can't marry me if your family doesn't _let_ you?"

"I-I know it sounds terrible, Kankuro, but…I…you just wouldn't understand," Hinata replied softly, looking up at the frowning teen as he pushed her away from him and a painful silence hovered in the air as she studied his face. "Please…" she begged, waiting for Kankuro to say something – anything.

"I don't have the_pedigree _they would like or the wealth, but I sure have the status – a high enough status that they don't care about anything other than that, and how it can further your family's twisted goals – when they finally do decide what we can do with our lives. They don't care that we love each other…they see marriage only as some kind of negotiation. I can't _understand_ why you need those pompous idiots' opinions to make a simple choice in your _own_ life, so I guess I'm not an acceptable husband, ne?" Kankuro snapped, the past few months of aggravation over wedding planning, coping with all his ambassadorial duties, and his two crazed siblings all coming out in one burst. He tried to keep his anger in check, but found himself failing badly at it as he unconsciously tightened his hands into fists.

"Iie, that's not it…" Hinata quickly said, ignoring the several offensive statements he had said about her family as well as the painful, lasting sting his words created. She knew he didn't really mean it. Her entire family wasn't like her father. For the most part, everyone was happy for them, but there were a few elders that were being the problem in the family's decision on their marriage.

"Oh, then what is it? I think I'm intelligent enough to _understand _whatever reason you can think of for hiding behind your family. Hinata…if it came down to it, would you go against your family and still marry me…or let them dictate your life?" Kankuro asked, his voice filled with seriousness as he looked into her eyes. She didn't need to answer him – her pain-filled eyes were enough of an answer. "I asked a simple question, Hinata…your family or me…"

Hinata took a deep breath, trying to find her voice as she brought one hand to touch his pale face. All her worst fears had come together at once – in one little question. "If you want me to pick between you and my family…I can't…" Hinata said slowly, forcing herself to keep her voice even as she turned away from her fiancée, knowing that if she was to look at him, she would lose her courage and start crying. "And if they don't give their permission…I can't marry you…" She glanced down at her hands, studying the large stone on her finger. Before she realized what she was doing, Hinata pulled the ring off and gently set it on a nearby table. She took one lasting look at the small piece of jewelry, and then at Kankuro, who was still fuming over her answer. "I wish it could have been easier…" she whispered as she walked away from the young man, who was frozen in place as his eyes came to rest on the glittering stone on the piece of furniture.

Kankuro wasn't able to move again until he could no longer feel his _ex_-fiancée's chakra moving through the house. He slowly walked over to the table and picked up the ring that had taken him months of searching to find. It had taken every last ounce of money he had, as well as loans from his siblings, to buy it, but he knew he needed something that would prove his worth to Hiashi. Kankuro remembered all the times the old man grilled him on his relationship with his daughter. Even under what most people would call torture, Kankuro never admitted Hinata wasn't as innocent as her family thought her to be. He protected her honor and dignity and had the scars to prove it. She never knew about these questionings, since he always told her the injuries were from a mission Gaara had recently sent him on. _What have I done?_ he wondered as he turned the ring around between his fingers. Hinata didn't even know how hard it was for him to get the perfect ring for her. For a moment, he wondered if she had even read the inscription on the inside of the ring, since he was quite sure she had never taken the ring off since he proposed.

_Your smile brightened my entire life, your eyes could see the man I truly was, your hands healed my scars, but it was your heart that saved me from the darkness I once knew. _

To most people, the quote would have seemed cheesy, but it held significance to the Hyuuga heiress. Kankuro knew it came out of Hinata's favorite Icha Icha novel and the line itself got her to sniffle every time she read it and that was partially why he had it engraved on the inside of the band. The other reason he picked the quote was because the line itself also strangely described his feelings towards the once shy girl. She had saved him from his own hell and taught him how to love when he only used to know attraction. He let the ring slip down onto his palm and he closed his hand around the ring.

"Kankuro? Is everything okay?" Kankuro spun away from the table, recognizing his brother's sleepy voice. Gaara poked his head out of Neji's room, squinting at the Puppet Master. From his sensitivity to the light in the well-lit hallway, as well as his tousled hair, Kankuro guessed he had just woken up. "I heard you yelling…"

"It's okay, Gaara…go molest Neji some more," Kankuro joked softly, his voice involuntarily cracking as he felt the ring begin digging into his skin. He closed his eyes, hearing the door close softly, and he sighed in relief. He didn't really want to explain to Gaara right now why Hinata had broken off their engagement.

"I know you better than _that_, baka," Gaara said quietly, walking up to his brother, immediately noticing the teen's watery eyes. He looked down at Kankuro's hand, guessing he was holding something. He glanced back up at Kankuro, who looked far more depressed than he ever had before. Without having to ask, Gaara held out his hand and Kankuro dropped the contents of his fist into the smaller shinobi's hand.

_Hinata's ring?_ Gaara recognized the massive stone immediately as his future sister-in-law's engagement ring. He pulled his eyes away from the sparkling stone and watched as his brother sighed, raking a hand through his messy hair. "What did you do?" He knew the level-headed Hyuuga well enough to instantly know it was something his idiot brother said that got her so riled up that she gave back the ring.

"I only asked her to choose…"

"Choose what?" Gaara asked, noticing his brother wince at his question. Apparently it was quite a stupid choice. He sighed, pulling his brother out of the hallway before Hiashi happened to walk by. The last thing either of them needed was to explain to the Hyuuga leader why a half—naked Kazekage and a heartbroken Kankuro were doing out in the hallway alone. Pushing Kankuro into Neji's room, he – for once – was glad Neji had a very strict bathroom schedule. Right now, he knew that the anal teen was taking his hour long bath, which was followed by a half hour of drying his hair and brushing the locks. If he had read the small clock on the nightstand correctly, he had another fifty minutes before Neji was anywhere close to coming out of the bathroom. He sat Kankuro down on the bed, then went back to turn on the room's few lights. Once he could sufficiently see around the room without tripping over something, Gaara went back to the bed and sat down next to Kankuro. "What was it?"

"…me…or her family…" Kankuro replied softly, looking down at his hands. "She…didn't pick me…" he added, knowing it wasn't necessary. Gaara had already deduced what Hinata's choice was from his brother's attitude as well as the ring he currently held in his hand.

"Baka…you don't ever ask someone that!" Gaara had the urge to slap Kankuro, but stopped himself, knowing his brother was in enough pain already. He took a deep breath, watching as Kankuro's makeup started to run as the older teen sniffled. "If you had to pick, would you save Temari and my lives…or Hinata's?"

"Hers…you two can take care of yourselves…" Kankuro replied without so much as a thought, his voice quavering as he turned his head enough to look at Gaara.

"If all three of us were too injured to protect ourselves…what would you do?" Gaara rephrased the question, knowing his brother couldn't weasel his way out of the question now. "Would you rather watch Hinata die, or your only family?"

"I didn't ask her something like that," Kankuro retorted, glaring at Gaara for even thinking that the questions were in any way similar. "I only wanted to know that she would marry me even without her family there…"

"You couldn't answer my question, could you?" Gaara pointed out, looking down at the ring in his hand. "You were asking Hinata to either give you or her family up. It's not so easy when you put yourself in her place, is it?" he asked, remembering all his chats with Neji on the Hyuuga family's twisted relationships. Even though Neji and his uncle didn't have the greatest of relationships, Neji told him in his own way that he would give his life to protect the heartless man – and never think twice about it. Much like his uncle, Neji was willing to do anything for his two younger cousins and said that the rest of his family had the same exact mentality. Neji had to use the same example Gaara was using on his brother to get him to understand how hard it was for them to ignore that basic family tie.

"I just was joking, asking if she wanted to elope…Hiashi's going crazy with all this planning…" Kankuro mumbled, glancing over at Gaara. "I don't know what the hell happened… how she can tell me she loves me one second, and then break off our engagement the next…"

"See why I stick to men," Gaara replied softly, noticing the barest of smiles come to his brother's face. He had to admit it was worth all that practice to try understanding humor if it helped his siblings in any way. "Just go tell her you didn't mean it…and hope she's in a forgiving mood."

"I can't…I said such terrible things to her…" Kankuro replied, remembering how he had repeatedly made jabs at her family. Even though he knew Hinata agreed with his opinions of some of the Hyuuga clan, it wasn't fair that he called them all such names.

"She'll forgive you," Gaara assured him, trying to think of a reason the Hyuuga heiress hadn't tried explaining to Kankuro how hard it was to decide between him and her family. _He probably didn't give her a chance…_Gaara thought, knowing his brother.

"But what happens if the Hyuuga clan finds out about today and they decide I don't deserve her? She said she won't marry me without their approval…" Kankuro moaned softly as he dropped his head into his hands and cursed colorfully. "I hate these old clans..."

"But you're the one who had to fall for their heiress…" Gaara pointed out, remembering all the times he tried to dissuade Kankuro from his relentless courting, trying to give him as many reasons as possible as to why his relationship with Hinata wouldn't work. Now all he could do was hope that everything did work out for the two. They deserved each other after everything they had gone through. Gaara looked at the closed bathroom door, knowing that if there was any kind of god, they were finally trying to fix some of the mistakes they had made in the past.

"You're the one who dragged me to Konoha for the chuunin exams in the first place," Kankuro pointed out, the barest of smirks coming to his face as he remembered how much he had fought his siblings on whether or not to go to that specific exam. He wanted another year or so to train and study his books and scrolls, but Temari and Gaara finally wore him down – not to mention their father all but strapped him to Temari when the group left for Konoha.

"Aren't you glad I did?"

"Yea, I guess I am…" Kankuro admitted, taking his hands away from his face and smiling at his brother when he saw Gaara shake his head. The Kazekage gently set the ring back in his hand and, with a quick wave, sent Kankuro out of the room. He laid back down on the bed, closing his eyes and trying to go back to sleep, but no longer felt tired. Gaara let a perverse smirk cross his face as he launched himself off the bed and, while thanking his years of training, slipped into the bathroom unnoticed.

"G-Gaara! Don't surprise me like that!"

"…"

"Oh, no you don't! I just finished getting washed and I have to go a diplomatic dinner with the Inuzuka clan tonight!...Don't you give me that look, Gaara. I have only two hours to do my hair and get dressed!"_ Splash! _"Now look, I'm covered in soap again! Hey, get away, you! I should know better than to let you go to sleep when I'm taking my bath! You always wake up so horny!"

Needless to say, Neji found himself doing his hair while racing to dinner, but somehow still found himself nearly an hour late. And, every time he looked at one of the Inuzuka canines that night, he swore they were smirking at him knowingly.

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Authoress:…yeaaa…it was a little bit of a random chapter – and I really was going to put a part about Kiba in, but when I hit twenty pages, weeeeeell, I think I should keep chapters a readable length… but I thought it was about time to write a little bit about one of the few straight pairings in this fic and it does tie into the actual plot, I swear…(and, for those of you who understand why I put this little lover's tiff in…//hands out many cookies// yosh!) so, anyways, thank you all so much for keeping up with this story (and all my long periods between updates)…and don't forget to review!! Hearing from my wonderful readers always gets me so bouncy, I have to write a new chapter as soon as possible!!! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and, until next time, sayonara!


	8. Chapter Seven

Authoress: GOMEN NASAIIII!! /cries/ I'm so sorry for taking so long to update on Revealing a Kitsune!! I was planning on writing as soon as I got out of college…but then I had to prepare for a trip to Italy…I just got back to the US last week and, lemme tell you, a 6 hour time difference really messes you up…now I wake up around five in the morning…-.-;;…so, anyways…Italy is _awesome_…we saw all the old buildings, the Vatican, and the people I went with (my boyfriend/future husband's family) were shit-faced (pretty much) 24/7…drinking age over there is 16…/chuckles evilly/ I learned not to drink over a bottle of wine _each_ on your first night off the plane (we were dehydrated and hungry, which only made things worse…)…/smiles sheepishly/ is it bad four people were able to clean the hotel's bar out of white wine in a matter of a few hours?..oh, but I paid for that night…but, thank God, I had no hangover…

Disclaimer: okay, now that I described my (first and _only_) drunken night in Italy, now onto Revealing a Kitsune…and I don't own Naruto…/cries softly/ it is so unfaiiiiiir!!

**Chapter Seven**

Naruto sighed softly as he looked down at the rough branch he was sitting on. Even after several hours of sitting with his mentor – his _grandfather_ – he was still having problems digesting everything Jiraiya told him. The old pervert told him stories of his father that he kept to himself during their three years together. Blinking the sudden wetness from his eyes, Naruto tried to picture his parents, but could only imagine his father's face – a person whose features were etched in his mind from childhood because of who the man had been in relation to the village. As soon as he learned that the famous Hokage was also his father, Naruto's mental image of the man changed slightly. Now, he could see the man as what he was – a father who gave his life to save his only son. Naruto could clearly picture what his father looked like when smiling, but that smile looked so sad that, at times, the teen wondered if he was imagining his father's expression or remembering it.

Naruto knew that, if there was anything he could remember about his father, it wouldn't be pleasant. He was only a newborn when the man died, so there couldn't have been too many times the Fourth was with him that were happy. Studying the bark on the branch underneath him, Naruto tried to picture the woman who gave birth to him. When he had asked Jiraiya about her last night, a pained expression crossed the old man's face, but the pervert kept claiming he didn't know who she was. Naruto could easily tell his grandfather was lying, but he knew Jiraiya was doing so for a good reason. The man – his grandfather and, as far as he knew, his only living family besides his unnamed grandmother – was one of the few people Naruto trusted and, because of that, he was sure Jiraiya had a good reason for keeping such information from him.

The blonde was pulled from his thoughts as he heard a quiet sound come from below him. Looking down past his branch, Naruto caught a glimpse of a dark head of hair. From the quiet sobs coming from the intruder, Naruto quickly figured out who the girl was and he momentarily frowned, wondering who would be cruel enough to make poor Hinata cry.

Swinging his legs over the branch, Naruto jumped down from the tree and landed so silently, Hinata didn't even notice him until he coughed softly to get her attention. She swung around, a sob catching in her throat as her hand flew to her kunai pouch. "O-oh…Naruto-kun…" Hinata stared at the blonde for a moment, wondering how he was able to sneak up on her as she released the blade she had grabbed in her moment of surprise. "I-I didn't know you where here…I'll leave…"

Naruto watched as the girl who interrupted his thoughts turned to walk back towards the village and, to his amazement, he felt a pang of _something_ as he studied the girl's hunched shoulders. It took him mere moments to realize the unfamiliar emotion as understanding and pity. He had never felt like anyone could empathize with his situation, but this girl was hated and abused by her own family, yet she still remained strong, hiding her pain with a façade. While he hid his behind a smile and a laugh, she covered her emotions with a blush and a stammer. "It's okay, Hinata…you can stay…"

The girl turned to look at him, her eyes wide. She had never heard Naruto's voice sound like this before. Instead of the happy, high-pitched tone that she had come to associate with him, his voice was deep, filled with more substantial, and perhaps darker, emotions than simple happiness. His eyes, much like his voice, showed a difference in the boy's demeanor and, for a moment, Hinata wondered which boy – the happy one or this new figure – was the real Naruto. "Arigatou…" She smiled softly, a part of her hoping Naruto would stay and, maybe, talk to her. "Were you training?" she asked, already knowing the answer. From his outfit – baggy pants with a frog print and a white shirt, which she somehow knew to be his pajamas – Hinata knew he hadn't been training, but sitting in the quiet grounds, thinking about something that he needed solitude for.

"Nah, I was sitting up there," Naruto said as he gestured up to his tree branch. Hinata's gaze followed his gesture and she smiled. She, too, had sat in the trees when she needed peace and quiet. "I just needed to be alone for a while…"

"And now?" Hinata asked, hoping she wasn't intruding and that he wouldn't leave to find another place to sit. A part of her wanted to talk to him about what happened today and another part wanted to ask why he was here. "I-I mean, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine…"

"It's okay," Naruto said softly, wondering why he felt the urge to tell this girl about how he was torn between emotions – should he easily accept Jiraiya as his family or treat the man as he always had? With that question, he also had to figure out _how_ family members were supposed to be treated. "I found out that some of my family is still alive…but I don't know what to do…"

"That's wonderful, Naruto!" Hinata had to fight the urge to hug the teen – she somehow knew he wouldn't appreciate the embrace at the moment. "I'm happy for you that you found your family…but why would you have to do anything?"

"I never had any family…I don't know how to treat them…" Naruto admitted quietly. Hinata felt a twinge of pity for the boy, remembering how he was always alone throughout the academy. When they were very young, she always thought his family was just busy, but as she got older and came to understand the term orphan, she felt a connection with him, which slowly became a crush as the years passed. "They're kind of in the same situation…my grandfather only found out about me yesterday…"

"How could he have not known?" Hinata asked, looking Naruto in the eyes and seeing a momentary glimmer of pain cross those blue orbs. Biting back an apology, she watched as Naruto took a step back and leaned against the tree he had been sitting in.

"He didn't even know he was a father…my grandmother didn't tell him she was pregnant…and she gave my father away when he was born…she finally told him everything yesterday," Naruto replied softly, tightening his hands into fists. Whoever his grandmother was, she was far more heartless than the Kyuubi in the blonde's mind. "He knew who my father was for years – he even taught him when he was a genin…but never knew that he was his son…" Naruto closed his eyes, trying to imagine what it had to have been like for Jiraiya – to find out his beloved student was also his son.

"Your parents died in the Kyuubi attack, right?" Hinata asked, trying to remember everything she had heard about the teen's family – or lack of it. Naruto nodded his head, wondering if he should tell the girl that, in a sense, he killed his mother because of his birth. "They must have been very powerful shinobi…"

"My father was…I don't know who my mother was, though…" Naruto said quietly, glancing over at the girl, sensing she was studying him when he felt her eyes on him. He watched as Hinata looked him up and down, her eyes widening as she focused on his facial features. Naruto knew it was because she was seeing the similarities between him and his father's picture.

"…t-the…Fourth…" Hinata had to back up and lean against the tree to hold herself up as she stared at the blonde. His features were so similar to those of the most powerful of the Hokage that Hinata wondered how she had never seen it before, but a part of her knew exactly why. Back in the academy, Naruto had such a round, innocent face with such joyful eyes that he held very little in common with the picture of the Fourth in the Hokage Tower. Now, however, his eyes held a similar hardness as the portrait's; his face had the same lean, angular features. The only noticeable difference between the blonde and the Fourth were his whisker-like scars and the shape of the teen's eyes.

"You should have seen how surprised I was…" Naruto joked softly, a genuine smirk coming to his face as he watched Hinata's face pale – which was quite a feat considering her fair skin – when she heard the admission in his voice.

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun…"

"For what?" Naruto asked curiously, seeing pain come to the girl's eyes. No one had ever had such a reaction to something he said before and Naruto couldn't figure out what it was that he said to get such a response from the shy girl.

"That you lost your father in such a way…that you never knew him…" she replied as she leaned towards the blonde and gently took one of his hands in her own and squeezed it softly. "I'm sure he loved you very much…" _He died protecting not just the village…but his own son…_

"I-I know he did…" Naruto admitted, looking at the girl as he wondered how much he should tell her. "Sometimes, I feel like I knew him…that he spent time with me when I was a baby…" _But that's not possible…I was born the day the Kyuubi attacked…and he died…there was no way he could have spent that much time with me…but I somehow _know_ he held me...but how could that be possible? Oi, Kyuubi…have any idea?  
_

**…**

From the demon's silence, Naruto knew she knew exactly how such a thing could happen. _I asked you a question!_ Forgetting the Hyuuga holding his hand, Naruto closed his eyes and imagined himself next to the massive gates that held the demon. Violently shaking the metal until one of her glowing eyes opened, Naruto felt a momentary sense of victory. It was hard to annoy the kitsune nowadays, but she obviously was quite aggravated.

**Fine, you want to know…you weren't born the day I attacked…you were born a couple weeks before. You were given the birthday you celebrate now because the Third thought of it as a day of your rebirth…also, in the official records, the Fourth's newborn son died in the attack…your family, besides your grandparents, wanted nothing to do with you, so they faked your death in order to get out of their responsibility of taking care of my container…the Third was the only one who knew what they did, but thought that you would be better off as an orphan than taken care of by such terrible people…**

Naruto stared at that scarlet eye in disbelief, bile coming to the back of his throat as he repeated her words. What kind of people would have done such a thing to an innocent baby? _Are they still alive?_ He asked, his momentary disbelief turning into a seething hatred for those people. Not even his mild hatred for his lying grandmother could compare to the murderous intent he felt when thinking about the other members of his family.

**No…they were tortured and killed years ago…they definitely paid for what they did to you…**the Kyuubi replied with a small amount of satisfaction in her voice. When Jiraiya told Naruto about his remaining family, she had seen something in the Sannin's eyes and, immediately after the man left, she secretly went digging around in the blonde to figure out what that look was for when he mentioned remaining family. **He didn't tell Naruto that he has other family besides his grandparents…**she thought to herself, baring her teeth in an evil smile as she recalled the deeply buried ability that her container had – an ability that, for any other human, would be impossible to tap into. But, with her chakra and knowledge of the gene, she could unlock that amazing power and use it for her own purposes. **A Sharingan will come in handy when I get my revenge on these humans…**she added, making sure her container couldn't hear such thoughts or else he would surely stop her.

"Naruto…are you okay?" Hinata asked softly, moving closer to the teen. He hadn't said anything for a few minutes and, if she didn't know any better, she would have thought he had fallen asleep, but his breathing was too ragged – as though he was trying to hold back a sob.

"I only knew my father for a few weeks…but I remember him…he really cared about me…" Naruto finally said before taking a shaky breath. "The rest of my family left me to die…he died to save me…" Looking up at Hinata, Naruto could see understanding in her eyes, then remembered her own family. Everyone in her family hated her…all but one. Neji was the only one who pushed her – who believed in her – and because of that, he was the only family member she trusted and cared for. Of course, because of her kind nature, Hinata would never admit her feelings towards the rest of her family. "I don't know how to act around my grandparents…"

"Do whatever your heart tells you, Naruto-kun," Hinata replied softly, the barest of smiles coming to her face. The boy's momentary show of weakness, although depressing, showed the girl that there was hope Naruto could one day care about his grandparents as he obviously did for his late father.

"Thanks, Hinata…and drop the 'kun'…" Naruto said, the old, familiar smile coming to his face. Hinata blushed slightly at his comment and bit her lip. Years ago, she had dreamed of him saying such a thing – admitting that they were close enough that such formalities weren't needed. Of course, back then it was for completely different reasons. Now, she was happy to be considered a close enough friend that suffixes weren't necessary. Sensing a powerful chakra approaching, Naruto inwardly smiled, having already figured out what was eating at the girl. He waited until the intruder was within hearing distance before asking "so, how about you? Why are you out here?"

"Kankuro and I…we…broke up…" Hinata admitted softly, remembering why she had been crying earlier and the pain quickly returned as she let go of Naruto's hand and looked away. "We had a big fight and…I…I gave him back his engagement ring…"

"What was the fight about?" Naruto asked, surprising himself that he was genuinely concerned for the girl. Since coming back to Konoha, he had heard the rumors about the odd couple's deep feelings for one another and, on some days, Naruto saw proof of that love when the two teens were together. Hinata took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking at Naruto with pain-filled eyes. She didn't have to say anything – her expressive eyes told him everything. "You both said some stupid things, ne?"

"He wanted me to pick between him and my family…to elope…" Hinata said softly. "Kankuro is the most important person in my life…but he doesn't understand that I want my family to accept him…I don't want them to hate him like they hate me…"

It took Naruto a moment to digest everything Hinata said - he wasn't used to hearing her speak several sentences in a row without stammering. Hearing her speak now, Naruto could hear the raw emotions the girl was barely able to contain as well as the strength everyone except her family knew she had. "Did you tell him that?" Naruto questioned, receiving a negative shake of the girl's head. "Why did he want to elope?"

"My father…he's making such a big deal out of our wedding…a marriage ceremony shouldn't be this much work…but he wants to impress as many people as possible…" Hinata replied quietly. For a moment, she considered Kankuro's elopement idea. If it wasn't for the eternal scorn they would receive from her family, she would follow him anywhere the moment he asked without any reservations.

Naruto watched as the girl looked down at the ground, then quickly glanced over at their 'guest' and smirked when he saw the teen leaning against a nearby tree, listening to his ex-future-wife as she sniffled. For a moment, Naruto didn't recognize him as the Kazekage's top advisor because of his lack of makeup and the rich-looking outfit he was wearing. If nothing else, Naruto had to admit Kankuro cleaned up very well. The only reason Naruto knew his identity was from the way the young man looked at the Hyuuga heiress at Naruto's side. If Naruto was a romantic, he would have probably squealed at the obvious love that shone in the teen's eyes. "You want to marry him, though?" Naruto asked, more for Kankuro's benefit than his or Hinata's.

Hinata, still looking at the ground, replied "Of course! I can't imagine living without him…I love him more than anything in the world…but I don't think I told him that enough…" Naruto didn't have to pull his gaze away from Kankuro to know tears were beginning to trickle out of Hinata's pale eyes. Finally, Kankuro looked away from Hinata enough to realize he had been seen by the blonde. Naruto caught the Sand shinobi's eyes and could see, even from this distance, that it was a good thing Kankuro had no makeup on – it would have definitely been smeared by the wet trails running down his cheeks.

"I say you go talk to him and knock some sense in that make-up-loving, creepy-as-all-hell, doll-loving idiot…" Naruto said, chuckling when he saw the glare Kankuro directed at him. Hearing the laugh, Hinata looked up at the blonde in confusion and quickly followed his gaze. As soon as her eyes met Kankuro's, Hinata sucked in a breath of air – only a blind person could possibly miss the love and remorse in his beautiful eyes.

Naruto went back to leaning heavily against the trunk of the tree as he watched the two teens slowly walk towards one another. It was as though they were in one of Jiraiya's cheesy novels; their paces sped up until Kankuro caught Hinata in his arms and lifted her into the air, whispering apologies and declarations of love between the gentle kisses he placed on every inch of the girl's face while she cried softly, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on tight.

Naruto couldn't help but smile at the lovesick pair – perhaps Jiraiya wasn't simply a romantic, smut-loving pervert…from those descriptions in his books, he must have been in love with someone. _I wonder if it was my grandmother…_Naruto thought to himself, but then remembered his sensei's love for a certain snake-bastard. Pushing himself off of the trunk, Naruto took one last glimpse of the two teens and a twinge of an unusual – and entirely unfamiliar – emotion ran through him.

_I want that…_Naruto realized as he watched the two shinobi embrace one another, Hinata resting her head on her lover's shoulder as Kankuro gingerly kissed her forehead. They were obviously content to just hold one another – unlike Jiraiya's books, physical gratification wasn't necessary to make the two happy. Naruto, despite himself, smiled at their pure, innocent love for one another. Yes, that was the kind of relationship Naruto craved – someone who he could trust wholly and whose mere presence would be enough for him and, for some reason, the first person that came to mind was the Inuzuka that had been plaguing his thoughts lately. Quickly blinking his eyes before any noticeable wetness came to them and trying to ignore thoughts of Kiba, Naruto quietly walked away from the two, but he knew they wouldn't even notice his absence now that they were in one another's arms.

With a chuckle, Naruto started walking back towards his apartment. From the bits of conversation Naruto had caught before leaving, he knew that he would have to go inform a particular Kazekage where his brother had disappeared to and why, for his own good, Gaara better not go looking for him or a certain missing Hyuuga for a few days. _Ooh…the Hyuugas aren't going to be happy when those two finally get back and the family finds out they have a new family member…_ With that thought, Naruto realized something about his own predicament.

_Jiraiya's my family…and, even before, I cared about him and saw him as a father-figure…the only thing that's changed is we're closer than I originally thought…and I'm sure, when she's ready, my grandmother will come to me…_Naruto thought to himself, trying to imagine what it would be like to give up your son and have him die so young and not know about your own grandson until he was a teen. _Maybe I can forgive her one day…_

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Gaara glared at the blonde as Naruto waved goodbye, his voice as high-pitched as ever. A small part of him wished he hadn't let Neji go to that dinner tonight and, instead, had kept him in bed a little longer – okay, a large part of him wished he hadn't let the sexy Hyuuga out of his grasp, but that's beside the point. If he was still doing unmentionable things to his lover, he wouldn't have bumped into the bouncy blonde, then have to hear about how his older brother – the one who was supposed to be more mature – had decided to elope with his fiancée. Gaara inwardly admitted he was happy for the two, but he still had to mentally point out how many problems the couple's decision would create. Hiashi was going to be downright _pissed_ when he finally found out that his wedding plans were all for naught. Not to mention all the legal problems Gaara was going to have to work out – a heiress of Hinata's standing had enough expectations and requirements from her own family. Kankuro, as not only his brother, but his top advisor, also had similar responsibilities. The two couldn't possibly be married in Sunagure or Konoha without being discovered, so their foreign marriage license could be disputed because of their citizenship.

If Gaara was lucky and could repair some of the damage Kankuro would no doubt create with his decision, his brother wouldn't be exiled from Suna by the council. At the very least, Kankuro most likely would lose his position as an advisor. Gaara could influence both decisions, but not control them completely, which only made his concern grow. As for Hinata, Gaara knew she had very little chance of remaining the heiress, let alone a Hyuuga. Depending on how pissed her father was, Hinata might not even be able to see any family members ever again. Realizing how Hiashi might punish the couple got Gaara's blood to run cold as he thought of how else Hiashi might lash out. _He might never let our family near the mansion again…I wouldn't be able to see Neji anymore…_

If Gaara hasn't started to learn the softer, warmer emotions that siblings were supposed to have for one another, he wouldn't have thought twice about finding his brother and wringing Kankuro's neck for putting his and Neji's relationship in danger. _…perhaps I can fix this…_Gaara thought, a devious glint coming to his sea-green eyes as he recalled a particular shop in Konoha whose glittery merchandise always caught his eye as he walked by.

With a new lightness in his step, Gaara went off to find his sister to ask for a woman's – alright, an evil sadist's, but still female – opinion on what he could get to upstage his annoying, impulsive brother's mountain of a diamond. The only thing that lowered Gaara's moment of joy was the question of whether or not his present would be done by the time those two got back from their elopement. His entire plan hinged on asking at the right moment.

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Kiba sighed as he looked down at his plate. Shuffling the green concoction around his plate with his chopsticks, he wondered what had possessed his family to attempt making a dish from the Hidden Village of Wind. Remembering their _guests_, Kiba realized that they must have come from that village. Not that he cared, anyways. Looking up from the food, wondering if he was going crazy or he actually saw it move on its own, Kiba glanced over at the woman across the table from him. She wasn't half-bad looking – compared to some others his parents had paraded in front of him, that is – but she was, by Kiba's best guess, in her late twenties. Long blonde hair, paired with unusually bright green eyes and a body almost all his female friends would kill for made the woman into what just about every male teenager dreamt about – all but a certain Inuzuka, who preferred his blondes with blue eyes and a slightly different anatomy. Shaking thoughts of his most recent dreams, Kiba continued to study the woman through hidden glances. What little Kiba had found out about her already was that she was a widow – her husband having died on a mission dealing with the Village of Sound, leaving her, a small daughter that was around five or six, and a belly that, despite her loose-fitting clothing, showed the woman's condition.

_They are really desperate if they would consider marrying me to a woman almost twice my age…she has a kid and is pregnant!!_ Kiba knew better than to say or show anything outwardly, but he couldn't help but flip out inwardly as he watched the little girl next to him eat the green creation with zeal. He was only sixteen…if he married this woman, he'd be stuck with a kid that was born while he was still a pre-genin!! Kiba quietly sighed again as he let his father's monotonous discussion about politics filter back into his ears. For a moment, Kiba wondered if talking someone to death was a torture method Konoha shinobi used. If so, his father was a master at it…

"So, Kiba-sama, your father said that you are quite close to the Hyuuga heiress. I've heard of the clan's abilities and how she is using hers to work with your Hokage. It must be fascinating to train with someone of her talents," the woman – Kiba's prospective bride – commented softly. Her voice was kind and gentle, but filled with a hint of sorrow – proof of the recent loss of her husband.

"Un…she actually trains with some of the Inuzuka canines when they can be spared. She is the only person outside of the family that has ever been able to work with any of them," Kiba replied, wishing his father hadn't locked all the dogs up in the smaller of the guest houses before the Wind shinobi arrived, but the Inuzuka patriarch said that he wouldn't have a repeat of the last dinner where they attacked the poor girl. Kiba prayed that they would somehow break out and the woman would run back to her Village, claiming the Inuzuka clan was crazy – just like every other potential bride had done before her.

"Really…that sounds amazing," the woman said, actual surprise in her voice. She glanced to the person next to her and Kiba quickly followed her gaze – much like everyone else at the table. Neji finally looked up from his plate – prodding the green blob probably to figure out if it was actually alive like Kiba had done – when he felt everyone's eyes on him. The Inuzuka clan knew better than to ask him any questions – the boy smelled like he had rolled in a vat of Gaara's distinct scent and, from his slightly dazed expression and state of disarray, they all knew exactly what had made the young man late to dinner. Kiba couldn't help but inwardly snort as he remembered how Neji had flown into the house, apologizing profusely. His hair, still soaking from an, obviously, hasty shower was starting to knot and his kimono looked like it had been put on and tied by a blind drunk. After his sister had helped the poor teen fix himself up, dinner started and Neji hadn't said anything since.

Trying to remember what it was that everyone was talking about, Neji felt his cheeks warm up slightly. "Our family is very proud of our heiress' accomplishments. She is the first Hyuuga to be a medic nin whose abilities are unrivaled." Neji inwardly let out a sigh of relief when he saw Kiba nod his head…apparently he had said the appropriate comment.

"I've also heard that you and Kiba-sama are good friends with some famous shinobi. Almost everyone in our village has heard of the upcoming wedding, Neji-sama. I am sure your family is extremely pleased with such a match. To think, soon you will be related to the Kazekage!"

Almost everyone, except the guests, let out a soft snort, while Neji's face turned an interesting shade of pink. Obviously the Hyuuga genius hadn't realized he would be, in a sense, related to his lover once his cousin married Kankuro. "Y-yes…we are very pleased with Hinata-sama's choice in a fiancée," Neji finally uttered quietly, his eyes on Kiba, silently begging to change the subject.

Before Kiba got to say something to take the spotlight off Neji, a loud _bang_ erupted from the front of the house. From the sheer number of barks, Kiba quickly guessed that someone let the dogs out of the guest house – or they found their own way out. Giving the dogs a good three seconds before they reached the dining hall, several of Kiba's relatives surrounded their guests, in case the dogs didn't like their visitors.

Of course, the dogs didn't have a chance to attack as the dining hall doors flew open and Hiashi – in all of his evil, furious glory – stomped in, screaming something undecipherable to even the ears of Neji. Kiba got a glance of the Inuzuka canines on the other side of the door, cowering next to the wall. Several were shivering while even more were whimpering, their tails between their legs and there was more than one suspicious puddle on the wooden floor.

"Hiashi-sama, what a pleasure," Kiba's father commented happily, his tone bouncy as ever. It was as though the man didn't see that tell-tale vein popping out of Hiashi's forehead. Kiba had learned that if a Hyuuga got such a vein – especially when they had their Byakkugan activated – it spelled trouble (and pain) for anyone in their path. Obviously the dogs got a taste of the man's murderous aura in order to frighten them so.

"WHERE THE HELL IS SHE!?" Hiashi screeched, his words finally making some sense to Neji. He raised an eyebrow, and then remembered what Gaara had told him earlier. _I'm sure she and Kankuro made up – idiots, the both of them…but where could Hinata have gone?...wait…Gaara said something about eloping…but they couldn't have…_

"Hiashi, I'm sure if you calm down a moment, we can figure out what you're talking about…"Kiba's father said calmly, as though Hiashi hadn't just scared the shit out of a number of canines that even the toughest of ANBU members were wary of.

"You know something, Neji…" Hiashi glared at his nephew while Neji slowly got up from his chair. Every shinobi in the room could clearly see Neji was shifting his weight so that he would be able to run at a moment's notice.

"I saw her earlier, Uncle, but I thought she was going to see Tsunade-sama…" Neji lied, remembering that that was Hinata's usual fib to get out of one of her father's wedding-planning meetings.

"I spoke to the Hokage…she hasn't seen Hinata all day…and had no lessons scheduled with her today…" Hiashi replied coldly, his voice lowering several decibels as he walked towards his nephew. Kiba, wondering momentarily why Hiashi was so wound up, froze at the man's next words. "And no one has seen Kankuro since he left our meeting…" Kiba took a quick glance at Neji and caught what the other teen was trying to mouth to him.

_Elope…uh oh…this isn't going to end well…_Kiba thought to himself, a small part of him wishing he could take after the dogs and go cower in a corner. Instead, Kiba was stuck where he was, sweating profusely as Hiashi took a few more steps into the room, his glare hardening as he got closer to Neji.

"You are her bodyguard…why didn't you walk her to the Hokage's?" Hiashi asked quietly, his voice more frightening now that he had gained a hold on his anger. Kiba coughed, hoping the man wouldn't decide to attack him as well.

"I invited Neji over…I thought he might enjoy meeting some Wind shinobi that are visiting," Kiba replied softly, hoping that Hiashi couldn't tell he was lying. He and Neji both knew why the teen was really here – to help Kiba think of something that could get this woman to leave. Ever since he learned of his father's plan to lock up the dogs, Kiba had been frightened that he might not be able to find a way out of an engagement with this woman. Their plan was to, somehow, release the dogs or otherwise scare the woman away. Perhaps Hiashi barging in would be enough to make her rethink marrying into the Inuzuka family…

"And you couldn't take five minutes to walk Hinata across the village?" Hiashi glared at his nephew, but something changed his expression from hate-filled to murderous in a flash. "You…you were with that lover of yours, weren't you!?" From the blank look he got from Neji (which was due to fear and amazement that his uncle found out, not a good attempt at acting confused), the vein in Hiashi's forehead throbbed. "Oh, don't think you can hide anything from me. I've known some time…always up in your room…_interesting_ sounds at night…the change in your attitude…you think you can slip that whore past me?!"

Kiba felt like crawling under the table when he saw the change in Neji's expression. Under the table probably wouldn't save him from death when Neji snapped, but it might keep him alive a little longer. A small part of Kiba wanted to cheer for the teen, however. Neji was right in being infuriated – no one had the right to call his lover a whore. Then again, Kiba momentarily wondered if Hiashi knew _who_ exactly Neji's lover was. He had a feeling that, even as mad as he was, Hiashi would never call Gaara a whore – especially in front of so many people.

"How dare you!" Neji was finally able to say quietly, his Byakkugan activating as he glared at his uncle with a seething hatred. Kiba silently sent up prayers to as many gods as he could remember, wondering if there was any way he could see a certain blonde one more time.

"If you two wish to battle this out, would you mind going outside…I'm not finished with my dinner and I'd rather like to see what the cooks have prepared for dessert…" Kiba could only look at his father with a blank stare – the man was unfazed by the spectacle in his dining hall. It was as though this kind of thing was commonplace…then Kiba realized what he was doing. Giving his father a thankful smile, Kiba glanced over at the woman across the table, who looked properly terrified. He guessed she was planning on leaving…if she survived the clash between the two Hyuugas. "And I'm sure Hinata just went out with Kankuro on a date. You have to trust those two…they are engaged, Hiashi…"

"…but not yet married…" Hiashi pointed out coldly, but Kiba's father's comment got him to calm down slightly. Kiba watched as the man took a step back, the throbbing vein on his forehead vanishing. "Forgive my rudeness…but…"

"Teens are teens…I know exactly how you feel Hiashi…Kiba's always out late and coming home smelling of something questionable…" Kiba's gaze snapped back to his father and glared at the older Inuzuka. He had never done anything all that offensive…well, there was that one night when Akamaru made him watch Naruto's apartment…then other nights when he slept over at Shino's or Hinata's…or when he and Akamaru went out on training and came back smelling like all kind of bodily fluids…

"I suppose you're right…" Hiashi admitted. Kiba pulled his glare from his father and placed it back on Hiashi, wondering why the man was calming down so easily, then realized the Hyuuga was looking at the table – seeing that there were guests from another village watching the spectacle he just made. _Ha…by tomorrow, everyone will know how crazy he is…and that Hinata and Kankuro are missing…_Kiba felt a pang of fear for those two for when they returned – Hiashi wasn't going to be happy with their choice…

"Come over and sit…I think we're about ready to have dessert…" Kiba let out a sigh, catching the fear in his possible bride's eyes. She obviously went along with his father's plan and, most likely, wanted nothing else than to run from the Inuzuka home. "Neji, why don't you move over by Kiba so that your uncle can sit and talk with our guests?"

Neji, finally catching on to the Inuzuka's plan, nodded and quickly went to the other side of the table, pulling up a chair that was next to the wall. Kiba let out a sigh of relief as the older teen sat down next to him. Kiba, almost instantly, wished Neji had sat further away – as soon as he took a breath, he could smell only Gaara. Leaning over to the Hyuuga, Kiba whispered, "You really should take a shower before coming near my family…"

Neji blushed, realizing what Kiba – and the rest of the Inuzuka clan – must have assumed with their amazing sense of smell. "I did," he hissed back, a blush coming to his face when Kiba got the meaning behind his words and smirked. "And why don't you make fun of anyone else for their lovers?"

"Because Hinata and Kankuro are engaged…I don't say anything to Shino and Chouji because I don't want bugs in my bed or be eaten, the girls are scary when you piss them off, and I'd rather not be tortured by Temari and Shikamaru…" Kiba replied, smirking at the other teen. "And if you think Iruka's scary when he's mad at us for tricks at the academy…think about what he'd do if his secret boyfriend was revealed…" Both teens shivered at such a thought. Neji gave Kiba a raised eyebrow, wondering who Iruka could be with. "I always thought Iruka's scent was his own…but then I finally found someone who had the same smell…who would have thought a jounin would have a thing for a teacher…"

"You don't mean…"

"Yep…" Kiba replied, knowing that Neji had heard the rumors about a certain silver-haired pervert spending a _lot_ of time around the brunette. For a moment, Kiba wondered what Iruka ever saw in Kakashi – and visa versa – then recalled the saying 'love knows no bounds.' _They've got that right…_Kiba thought to himself with a smile.

"So, what did you talk to the Hokage about today, Kiba?" his father asked, getting the attention of everyone at the table. From the curious look their guests gave the man, he felt the need to elaborate. "Kiba has a bit of a stress problem, so he goes to see the Hokage for therapy…"

"…oh, God…" Kiba mumbled as his father went on to tell their guests about how his son's health had always been a concern – and that, in his father's mind, had something to do with his childhood issue with the bathroom. Kiba covered his face as the old man started telling stories of when Kiba refused to go within a foot of a bathroom…and, thus, took up the habit of going wherever he wished. For a moment, the teen wished you could die of mortification when his father launched into the story of how he urinated on Iruka upon their first meeting and how, in the twisted minds of the Inuzuka clan, that was a compliment to the poor (wet) teacher.

"…you…you pissed on Iruka-sensei?" Neji said with a chuckle, ecstatic that he now finally had something to make fun of the Inuzuka for. "No wonder he hated you throughout the academy…"

"My family thought it was cute that I wanted to mark Iruka-sensei as my territory…Iruka-sensei didn't think the same way…" Kiba mumbled, burying his face further into his hands. The only thing Kiba could think as the painful dinner went on was that this better get his possible bride running in the opposite direction and, as the night finally came to a close, he discovered it did.

"Ah, there goes another daughter-in-law…" Kiba's father stated as they waved at the Wind shinobi that were moving, quickly, away from the Inuzuka household. Unlike earlier possibilities, the old man didn't seem to mind that this one got away.

"Thanks, Dad…" Kiba said as he and the older Inuzuka walked back into the house, where the rest of the family and two Hyuugas waited. "I don't think I could have married her…"

"If I had known she had a child already, and was pregnant with another, I would have never invited her…the only grandchildren I want are ones from my son's seed!" Kiba lowered his head as his father exclaimed the last few words of his statement. Wondering how much his father had drank so far tonight, Kiba looked at the older man and saw a glimpse of sadness in the man's eyes. "That was the last one I could find, Kiba…your mother and I just want to see you happy…and, maybe, hold a few grandchildren before we die…"

"I know, Dad…" Kiba replied, his eyes scanning his father's face and, for the first time, he could see the deep wrinkles etched into the man's face and the sprinkling of silver in his otherwise auburn hair. It took a moment to recall how old his father was and, when he finally did, Kiba's shame only deepened. _Dad's around sixty…he should be retiring soon…and he'll have nothing to do at home except worry that Sis and I will be the last of the line…_ Kiba kept watching his father and, to his surprise, saw a glimmer of hope in his father's eyes.

"There is _one_ person left…she is around your age, so you won't have to deal with someone else's kids…but you won't be able to back out of this one if I try arranging anything…" the man commented, his voice filled with joy. "I'm sure you'll like her…"

"Who?" Kiba asked, trying to figure out who his father hadn't tried to trick into coming for a visit yet. "Dad…there's no one around my age that you haven't tried to con into this plan of yours…"

"No…there's one…and now I have a reason to ask…" Kiba felt a twinge of fear when he heard that matchmaking tone return to his father's voice – that tone always meant pain or humiliation for the Inuzuka heir…

Kiba watched as his father, now on a mission, strutted over to Hiashi and whispered something to the other man. Whatever it was that his father said made Hiashi go pale and Kiba's stomach to do somersaults. With that, the two men walked off, discussing something quietly to each other. _He can't be serious…_Kiba thought, realizing that there was one clan his father had yet to ask about a possible marriage alliance – the Hyuuga clan and they had only one available daughter that was around Kiba's age. _Hanabi…shimatta…Dad can't possibly think the two of us could ever get married…she's the spawn of Satan!_

Kiba continued praying that he had somehow misunderstood his father and was so caught up in mumbling to himself that he didn't notice Neji was standing next to him until the older teen prodded him. "Oi…what happened to you…I thought you didn't want to marry that woman…"

"…that's not it…my father's now after your cousin…" Kiba replied quietly, glancing over at Neji. The teen furrowed his eyebrows, trying to figure out what the Inuzuka was talking about, and then realized Kiba wasn't talking about Hinata, but his younger cousin. "I don't think I get a choice this time, either…"

"You had a choice before?" Neji pointed out, wondering how he could comfort the stressed-out teen. Kiba certainly needed something – perhaps an exorcist for his father - maybe that would be enough to get the man to stop this crazed idea of his. _Then again, Uncle might actually like such an idea. Joining the Hyuuga and Inuzuka clans…the two most powerful clans in Konoha…it would definitely rival Hinata's marriage…_

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Authoress: …I know this chapter is kind of short…but I wanted to get a new chapter done as soon as possible and finally get this story _really_ going…and, in case something wasn't described well enough (I wanted to make things connect…but it's been so long since the last chapter, some people might not get the hints), I'll give you guys a quick summary of this chapter…Naruto's starting to realize what he's feeling for Kiba, Hinata and Kanky eloped (I'm sorry…Hiashi's wedding planning was even pissing _me_ off…), Hiashi kinda knows about Neji and Gaara (he doesn't know Neji's lover is Gaara yet), and Kiba might now be stuck with Hanabi as a wife…also, for those of you who figured out what Gaara's planning.../squeals in fangirlish glee/ that'll hopefully come next chapter!!...ooh, that's gonna be a fun bit to write...and, as a hint for readers who _really_ paid attention to chapter 5, Neji's description of the Hyuuga and Inuzuka clans is very important to future chapters…/laughs evilly/ anyone who gets that gets an extra squeal/glomp from me!! Anyways…I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter…until next time, ja ne!!


	9. Chapter Eight

Authoress: Gomen for taking so long in getting my butt in action!!!...college's getting in the way...anyways...I'll keep things short because I'm itching to write! And I'd like to introduce the newest member of the beta team...Alstarryn-chan! //begins a dramatic drum roll//

_Beta: Hooray! A new chapter! I hope everyone enjoys. I'm _**Alstarryn**_, by the way._

Authoress: I'd like to thank Alstarryn-chan for doing an amazing job beta-ing this chapter for me...not only was it a pretty long chapter (and we had many problems with formats and such), but it was her first Revealing A Kitsune chapter!! //applauds//

Disclaimer: ...if I owned Naruto...oooh...//drools// I would have so much fun with Iruka and Kakashi...

Chapter Eight

Naruto laid back in the cool grass, using his forearms as a pillow. Looking up at the green canopy the tree above him created, he couldn't help but wonder what time it was. He had finally rolled out of bed this morning after a particularly fitful night with the intense urge to train and that was exactly what he did once he got outside. Having trained to the point of exhaustion and then meditated for a while in order to continue his training with the Kyuubi, Naruto had lost track of time. Judging from the few dim shafts of light that penetrated his shady covering, the blonde guessed it to be closer to sunset than any other time.

Taking a deep breath, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself for being able to train so long without having to take a break. Even though he had done his usual routine, which wasn't all that stressful on any other day, the Kyuubi had been adamant about practicing with his unusual abilities. Anyone else would have probably called them demonic, but Naruto knew exactly how to control himself (after almost three years of training with the Kyuubi, he had quite a handle on the talents she had been teaching him). He was no longer worried about losing control of himself and hurting anyone else. No, now he knew he only had to worry about harming himself.

**That won't happen if you're careful, gaki... **the Kyuubi pointed out solemnly as Naruto closed his eyes and imagined her curled up on the floor of her dimly lit cage. More and more often in the past few months, he found her lying down instead of storming back and forth behind the bars of her prison. At times, he couldn't help but wonder if she was tired, but knew better than that. How could the powerful demon be tired when she no longer had a physical body? She only lounged around in his mind, helping him with jutsu or teaching him something every now and again. Shaking such questions from his mind, Naruto took a step closer to the demon and waved in greetings. Quickly sitting cross-legged on the cold floor in front of the demon, Naruto looked up at her and caught a glimpse of something that made his eyes widen.

_What happened?_ Naruto asked as he quickly stood back up and took the few short steps needed to reach the large demon's snout. Running the back of his hand against the deep scratches that covered her entire nose, Naruto could feel the warm liquid coating his hand, which made him all the more concerned. He had never known the Kyuubi to bleed...and, considering she only existed in this imaginary plane, it had to be hard to hurt herself at all, wouldn't it?

**Nothing... **the Kyuubi was quick to counter as she pulled away from Naruto's gentle touch. She knew she couldn't tell her container how, while snooping through his Uchiha abilities, she had been hit with a backlash of chakra. The sheer amount of energy that was there stunned her almost as much as how quick and painful it was. Even though she had been on guard, it had caught her by surprise and, before she realized what had happened, she was back in her cage with these deep gouges covering her snout. From the unspoken apology in the boy's hauntingly blue eyes, she knew he believed his touch had stung her open wounds. The momentary burst of pain his gentle touch had given her, however, wasn't what got her to jerk away from him.

She knew she couldn't bring up her worries either or else her container would be infinitely more concerned about her. Never had she been inflicted with a wound that didn't heal itself within mere moments. Even after having been caged in Naruto, she had harmed herself more times than she could count by ramming herself into the bars of her cage in attempts to break free. Those painful bruises and burns caused by the thick wall of chakra keeping her in here, however, healed just as quickly as any other wound she had received over her long lifetime. This, however, was different. The Kyuubi knew that it wasn't even because of the unexpected chakra that had beaten her back into her prison. It was something far worse that was keeping her from healing - something that, she had begun to notice, was becoming more and more noticeable.

_**I'm becoming weaker...**_she thought to herself, making sure that the blonde who was now looking at her uneasily couldn't hear her. From his look, she knew he didn't believe her earlier comment that the scratches were nothing, but she couldn't bring herself to tell the boy that she couldn't heal herself like she used to. She couldn't tell the blue-eyed teen that the all-powerful demon she once was had started disappearing. No, the Kyuubi couldn't tell Naruto where her once limitless chakra was going. She would never admit that she had created a large network of chakra pathways to encircle his fragile human heart all those years ago. How could she tell him that she had done so when she was bound in him sixteen years ago in order to live? How would she break it to Naruto that, despite all her attempts of saving him, they were slowly dying?

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Kiba rubbed the bridge of his nose, hoping that the small gesture would somehow magically take away the headache that had been plaguing him since last night—since he figured out what his father was planning for him and Hanabi. Despite his arguing once Hiashi and Neji left for the night, his father wouldn't reconsider. The old man had all but said that, if Kiba didn't marry Hanabi, he would be forced to banish his son.

Kiba closed his eyes, wishing he could erase the image of his father's pleading eyes. He knew that the Inuzuka only wanted to see his son happy and that happiness could only come through having a family of his own. _I'm only sixteen!_ Kiba inwardly raged and, though he had brought up that point numerous times with his parents, they simply countered that they were married at even younger ages. His mother had actually been fifteen on their wedding day, while his father was twelve. Kiba knew that their marriage had been an arranged one in order to keep their clans alive. The two shinobi had actually never met before the day they said their vows, but they were lucky enough to fall in love almost immediately. Despite their personal success in marriage, Kiba didn't think they had to push the same chain of events on him. He truthfully wanted to find love on his own - and not have his family force it on him.

The young Inuzuka sighed as he opened his eyes again and glanced around the training grounds that were quickly becoming a sanctuary to him. When in the training grounds, other shinobi knew better than to interrupt someone's training or meditation. It seemed to be the only place left that Kiba could get away from his family and all the responsibilities they were trying to tack onto him. They wanted him to lead their clan without seeming to notice that he was the youngest family member, everyone expected him to marry soon and have a whole new family begun before he even became a jounin, and, above all else, they wanted him to follow in his father's footsteps and not bring any kind of shame to the Inuzuka clan.

_What would they say if they knew? _He wondered, still hesitant to even consciously think what he felt...what he knew. He was Hinata's closest friend and, as such, had the opportunity to see her (and several of her female friends) in few, if any, articles of clothing, but they never excited him like everyone else thought they should. He had been in his busty Hokage's presence when she had a wardrobe malfunction, but he had never thought to be attracted to her large chest. Having been forced to hear his father's version of the 'birds and the bees,' Kiba knew exactly what men were 'supposed' to be attracted to - what they should look for in a mate. And, not once, did the older Inuzuka say that strong shoulders, lean legs, and unbelievably blue eyes were the deciding factors.

Kiba couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he wandered between the shady trees that had somehow stood up to years of shinobi abusing them in attempts to perfect something in them—their aim, their kick, their punch. Kiba himself had used the scarred bark just as everyone else had, but right now, he could only recall how he had used one of those trunks to pin a blonde genin against it in order to clumsily perform his first kiss. Two and a half years of missing the blonde, then kissing him once he returned (and he had yet to think of a good reasoning behind that first kiss), and Kiba was only starting to come to grips with being attracted to the idiot. Perhaps it had to do with the midnight visit several days ago or the very steamy dream he had torn himself out of this morning before he had to admit something about his own character to himself.

He wasn't one of those people who saw two men together as being a crime against nature. Hell, if anything, Kiba would have to congratulate all of his gay friends for having the courage to admit such a thing to themselves and, in most cases, everyone around them. Kiba could only imagine how difficult it was for a straight couple to admit their feelings to one another, let alone a gay couple! To be so exposed to someone else...he could think of many ways that such an intimate relationship could result in a great deal of pain.

Not only did his homosexual friends have to deal with their families, whose opinions on their child's sexuality were quite varied (as far as Kiba knew, Gaara's siblings were the only ones who, without even thinking of how his decision would make a future family almost impossible, accepted their little brother's affections for a very quiet Hyuuga). Everyone else's parents had come to recognize their child's feelings, but it had been a hard road for most of them. Even in Kiba's own family, a good portion of the clan had a thing against any homosexual couple, but they were forced to quickly get over at least part of it. Those intolerant members of the clan had come to accept his sister and her girlfriend only after realizing that it was either accept Mimi as her partner or Hana would leave the family. Though she couldn't pass the Inuzuka abilities on to any children she may have, it didn't mean the family would want her to leave and take the Inuzuka secrets with her. Kiba sighed, knowing he could never do such a thing. His family would do anything in their power to keep him from deserting the clan—so long as it meant keeping the possibility he would have children. Not only that, but Kiba also wasn't sure of his feelings and would rather figure everything out before even thinking about telling his family about such a personal decision. It wasn't that he was a coward, but Kiba knew exactly what kind of hell he would go through if the clan had any idea about his attraction to his own gender.

With that unconscious thought, Kiba froze and found himself staring down at his hands as the realization of his sexuality blindsided him. He had never thought of himself as homosexual—he was just a normal teenager, wasn't he? Simply because he had missed a certain blonde while he was off training and had already lost a few of his 'firsts' to said blue-eyed shinobi didn't make him forever attracted to men, did it?

Kiba glanced up at the sky, taking a shaky breath as he tried to rationalize the fear that was starting to clench his stomach in a knot. He had never thought about any woman like he did Naruto—but couldn't that just mean he hadn't found the right girl yet? Kiba had to tear his eyes away from the fading pink of the sunset as he, for the first time in his life, admitted the one truth about himself that he had always somehow, deep within him, knew, but never had before had reason to voice.

_Shimatta...I'm gay..._ Kiba thought, repeating the final word in his head several times as though he was silently trying to let it roll of his tongue, testing the feeling of such a characteristic when describing himself. The more he thought about it, Kiba couldn't help but crack a smile, his earlier surprise and fear dissipating and being replaced by a sense of calm. For once, Kiba wasn't lying to himself, hiding something in his subconscious that he knew would only hurt him if it came to light.

At that moment, his stress diminished to the point he could only describe the sensation wrapped around him as elation. His family, whose traditions were still stuck in the past no matter how many scandals they were a part of, would never approve, but at the moment, it didn't matter. Chasing all ideas of his family's reaction from his mind, Kiba's step lightened and he felt as though he was almost floating from the rush such a simple observation gave him. Thinking about it now, Kiba couldn't help but chuckle as he realized how obvious it had been. He never wanted to think that simply because he was attracted to another male, he was gay. He had wanted to believe for those two and a half years that his attraction to the blonde wasn't the simplest answer anyone with half a brain could come up with. No, he had told himself that Naruto had a beauty that seemed to almost transcend gender, that he was a deep, emotional individual and that Kiba was fascinated by the teen that could hide under such a façade for so long. Though these things were true, and Kiba was still very much interested in the seemingly bipolar personality of the blonde teen, it was far more than that.

"What got you in such a good mood?" Kiba was thrown from his mental floating cloud when he heard that voice, filled with mocking, directed at him. He quickly found the source of the voice sprawled out on the grass mere feet from him. A bright blush warmed Kiba's cheeks as he realized he had been all but skipping along for the whole world to see. It wasn't even that others could have caught a glimpse of his euphoria, but that he had seen it. "Oi, Dog-breath, are you just going to stand there and stare?"

Kiba blinked several times, focusing his eyes on the teen and found last night's very exhilarating dream coming back in full force. The fact the dream took place on the grass at sunset had a great deal to do with his newfound inability to look into those blue eyes without turning an even brighter shade of pink. Keeping his eyes firmly planted on the blonde's chest as the lounging teen slowly propped himself up on his elbows, Kiba wondered how it was possible for someone's chest to be so well defined through the material of a t-shirt and jacket. That same chest rose and fell far slower than Kiba's did at the moment, but Kiba could tell that, from the rest of the teen's features that he must have been training.

Taking quick glimpses of that tan face, Kiba caught a glimpse of the sheen of sweat that was visible under the sparse golden bangs. The rest of the teen held the pungent scent of perspiration, but Kiba didn't find it offensive in the least. If anything, the Inuzuka had to admit that the rich, earthy aroma that was hitting his sensitive nose in waves was quite alluring. It smelled like Naruto had already rolled in the wonderfully fragrant grass. Recalling the patch of grass he and the blonde had destroyed during their 'sparring' in his dream last night, Kiba couldn't help but wonder if the blue-eyed teen would still smell this amazing even after a romp outdoors.

"Jeez, take a picture. It'll last longer..." Naruto groaned as he flopped back down on the grass, returning to his previous resting position. When Kiba didn't immediately spurt some kind of retort, Naruto raised his head enough to catch a glimpse of the Inuzuka and found the teen was still planted in one spot, his cheeks blazing red. _Oi, should we play with him a bit? Make up for waking us up so rudely the other night?_

**If that was rude, I don't want to know what you find polite, but what did you have in mind, kit?**

Naruto bit back the urge to smirk deviously as he stretched back on the grass, knowing that the t-shirt he had chosen this morning was certainly wasn't one of his longest. As he curved his back, Naruto felt the soft material work its way up his middle, showing off that his baggy pants were sitting quite low on his hips. The pants were actually a pair he used to wear almost three years ago, but he had been forced to wear them this morning when he realized he had nothing else clean. He had tied them so far down in attempts to keep them from looking like a dorky pair of capris, but he wasn't going to complain at his choice in wardrobe when he was finding such fun in flaunting his bare midsection. From the swift intake of breath coming from the Inuzuka, Naruto could tell the teen was now staring at his flat abs instead of his chest.

Further shifting in attempts to "stretch," Naruto felt his old pants slip further down his hips to the point that, if they fell any lower, it would be considered nudity. He didn't have to look to know that the beginning of a V of pale blonde hair was visible over the top of the waistband. Letting out a rumbling sigh of relief as he arched his back even further, Naruto found himself biting his lip to stop from laughing. He definitely heard a few of his audience's brain cells fry as the teen tried to hold back a gasp.

**You have spent too much time with that pervert Jiraiya... **the Kyuubi commented in attempts to scold her container, but Naruto could clearly hear the amusement in her voice. He knew she would never openly say it, but she was proud of his newfound seduction techniques as well as his sense of humor taking a turn to the dark side. They were traits that Naruto had to attribute to her just as much as his novelist sensei.

_Oh, just wait... _Naruto replied as he licked his lips in anticipation for what he'd do next. Using every skill Jiraiya's pornographic novels had taught him over the years, Naruto formed the most sensual voice he could muster and let the Inuzuka's name roll of his tongue. "Kiba..." Without warning, Naruto felt a shiver run down his own back as his soft tone reached his own ears.

**You wanton little human!** The Kyuubi had to bite back a squeal of delight, replacing it with a rumbling laugh. She had never known any other mortal to show a sense of humor that was so akin to her own and, until Kiba's arrival, she never believed Naruto had it in him either. Keeping her next thoughts from her container, she couldn't help but wonder if that needy tone to the blonde's voice was entirely faked.

When Kiba didn't immediately come to him, begging to do something more than just watch (which was the result Naruto had been planning for), the blonde looked up and found that Kiba was no longer staring at him. It didn't take him long to find Kiba sitting down next to a tree a small distance away. For a moment, the blonde couldn't help but wonder how Kiba had been able to take several steps away and sit down without making a sound as to alert Naruto of his movements.

Raising an eyebrow at the brunette's attempts to distance himself from him, Naruto quickly got up and strode over to Kiba as he readjusted his shirt and pants so that he didn't accidentally show more skin than he had meant to. Finally reaching the brunette, Naruto noticed Kiba's head was bowed, resting on his knees so that he couldn't see the Inuzuka's face. Squatting down so that he was at eye level with the taller teen, Naruto waited until Kiba looked up and found himself entranced with the red tinge that covered Kiba's cheeks. The young man looked quite flustered, if such a term could be applied to the apparent lust in his eyes.

"I..." Kiba bit his lip, trying to think of a way to put his thoughts into words as he looked back down at his knees. He didn't want to tell Naruto that he had to put some distance between them or else he might have lost the little bit of self-control he had, which was unraveling faster and faster with each minute movement Naruto made. If that tattered bit of restraint left him, Kiba knew he would turn into some kind of horny beast that he would come to hate as soon as he returned to sanity. He would never want to hurt anyone, least of all Naruto, in such a way. Glancing back up at the blue-eyed teen in front of him, Kiba felt that animal instinct within himself rising again, but its intensity was nothing in comparison to what he had felt moments before. The feeling of losing his sanity and being replaced by some kind of monster had actually frightened Kiba - though he would never admit that to anyone.

Looking into Naruto's impossibly blue eyes, Kiba caught a glimpse of surprise and, perhaps, understanding as well in those expressive orbs. It was as though Naruto knew exactly why he had to get away for a moment—as though he could empathize with Kiba. Recalling the demon that lived inside Naruto, Kiba knew it was no wonder the blonde understood what it felt like to lose control to another side of him that was anything but human.

"I was joking," Naruto mumbled as he realized why the Inuzuka had put such a distance between them. He couldn't help but be amused (and slightly proud) that he had pushed the shinobi to such a point, but at the same time he felt, for some reason he couldn't explain, ashamed. Naruto also was surprised at Kiba's consideration for him. He didn't want to lose control of himself...why? He asked the Kyuubi, wondering what had been stopping the Inuzuka from letting go and letting his instincts take over.

Having let the demon within in him control his body every now and again, Naruto knew what a liberating feeling it was. He didn't have to take responsibility for something he had done—he could simply blame the demon within him. Simultaneously, he felt the strength the Kyuubi held in check for him, but there was always a downside to giving her control. At times, she did become too violent for his taste and, though it wasn't his fault, Naruto regretted the destruction she caused. _He...didn't want to hurt me?_ He asked in amazement more for his benefit than the Kyuubi's. Naruto had never had anyone, besides Iruka that is, who would go out of their way to keep him from injury—physical, emotional, or otherwise. Mentally shaking his head, Naruto corrected that thought. His grandfather, in his own way, had kept Naruto from harm the past two and a half years.

**What about me, kit?** The Kyuubi asked, trying to shake the feeling of being slighted by her container. She knew that Naruto had no idea what she had done to protect him, but, at the same time, the demon had a good idea of how much Naruto blamed her for his problems. Though he would never say it to her, he thought everything, from the deaths of his parents to the scars up and down his arms, was her fault. Naruto was smart enough to never purposely let her know how he felt about her. Of course, he also was thankful for everything she had taught him over the years, for being his only friend, and, in a way, his only real family, but that didn't take away the sting of his contempt for her.

_You too,_ Naruto replied with a halfhearted sigh. _But...I'm your container and he knows that...why wouldn't he want to hurt me?_ He asked again, still unable to think of a reason for Kiba's actions. The Inuzuka hadn't known him as long as Iruka and wasn't related to him like Jiraiya, so why would he want to protect him?

**He's not like everyone else,** she replied as she looked at the Inuzuka heir through her container's eyes. The teen, she had to admit, was handsome by both human standards and her own. He exuded a strength that she couldn't help but be slightly envious of. The teen was obviously comfortable using that astounding power when it came to fighting, but he was still working on the emotional aspect of it. She had to admit that his developing self-control was making her appreciate the young man. She knew that even some of the strongest shinobi and demons were notorious for their inability to keep their emotions in check when needed most, but the young human that sat in front of Naruto was doing his best to eliminate such a weakness from himself before it was too late to teach himself the degree of self-control someone of his abilities should have.

Looking even more closely at the young Inuzuka, the Kyuubi tried to think of a reason Kiba was forcing such willpower on himself at a time like this. Her container was all but begging for the teen to ravish him, but Kiba still clung to his wavering control. When she finally realized why exactly the young shinobi had exhibited such power over his emotions, the Kyuubi was quick to hide her feelings and thoughts from Naruto. _**He has never unleashed his full potential... **_she thought to herself and couldn't stop herself from starting to like the young man.

Having seen him train, she could understand how deadly such power could be—even on accident. She also had the advantage of knowing how the mind of an animal—or a demon—worked. The young chuunin didn't want to go to Naruto earlier because he knew just what kind of damage he could unintentionally inflict if he lost that steely control he was clinging to. She also knew that even the most disciplined of people could, and usually did, lose themselves when it came to lust. She herself had done things she later regretted in a moment of passion—not that she would ever try to explain such a thing to her confused container. Of course, Kiba knew what Naruto was, so he knew that the blonde could take far more punishment than an average mortal, yet he still held himself back. Why? She asked herself and found her eyes widening when she finally came up with a plausible answer. _**He actually likes the brat...it isn't just lust...interesting...**_ she thought as she looked the teen up and down again with a new understanding of, and respect for, the Inuzuka.

She was hesitant to tell her container of the conclusion she had come to. Naruto didn't understand anything about human relationships, much less the emotions that made up some of the most rewarding associations. She only knew of them because of her long life and all the things she had seen. There was another thing that made her appreciate exactly what the young Inuzuka had just done—as she spent more time locked away in her prison, the more she and her container became alike. In Naruto's case, that was a good thing in that he was gaining her powers, her chakra, her wisdom, and her sense of humor, but at the same time, he was starting to show her pessimistic outlook on the world and her darker emotions that she was always trying to keep from the once bouncy child.

Smiling sadly at the memory of the infant her container once was, the Kyuubi couldn't help but wonder if it was possible to reverse her and Naruto's merging. She, at times, didn't mind her newfound understanding of the range of human emotions - it gave her a chance to exhibit the maternal instincts she never had time for during her lifetime, to laugh at something her container said simply because she, for reasons neither of them could explain, found it funny, but most of all, it forged a bond between her and her 'kit.' He was closer to her than any biological child she could have ever had, though she would never tell him such a thing. At one point in time, she knew Naruto would have appreciated knowing that she cared for him as though he were her own flesh and blood, but nowadays, she couldn't help but wonder if he would just laugh at her admission, then say she was going soft in her old age.

Her merging with her container also had drawbacks for her. Only recently, she had started coming to understand how truly depressed and alone the blonde felt—and how constant such feelings were. He truthfully believed he had no friends, yet one sat right in front of him, unable to bring his gaze to Naruto's because he didn't want to lose his self-control and end up hurting the boy. The only person Naruto ever inwardly titled as a friend was the only person who betrayed him so completely. Growling to herself, the Kyuubi promised that, if ever given the chance, she would kill the Uchiha who dared to knowingly toy with her kit's emotions. Though Naruto did his best to hide his true self beneath his happy-go-lucky attitude, he was still as fragile as a piece of thin glass that had long been covered in cracks and chips. The boy would never admit it to her, but she knew that he was so close to giving up on human emotions entirely. He just wanted to surround himself with some kind of impenetrable shield that would keep out the pain and sadness he was forced to face on a daily basis.

Looking at her surroundings, the Kyuubi could clearly see that her prison was the brightest it had been in years. It was as though merely being around the Inuzuka affected her container so much that he was starting to return to the sweet baby he once was before the hardships of life had caught up with him. Perhaps he was exactly what she had been hoping for...a _miracle_.

Hearing her container's voice, the Kyuubi pulled herself out of her thoughts and listened to his words, surprised to hear that the boy was asking Kiba to dinner. Though she knew the blonde had not meant it to be a traditional 'date,' she could see that Kiba had interpreted it as such from the surprise in his eyes and the pink tinge on his tattooed cheeks. That momentary shyness didn't stop Kiba from slowly nodding his head, however. And, for a moment, the Kyuubi saw a bright flash of light before her eyes. Smiling to herself at her container's unconscious response to the Inuzuka's answer, the Kyuubi started thinking that there may be some hope for her kit.

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Iruka glared at his boyfriend's innocently wandering hand, his eyes plainly telling the jounin that he would be sleeping at Gai's again if he even dared to grope the chuunin in pubic. From the look in Kakashi's one visible eye, Iruka could tell the silver-haired pervert was pouting underneath his mask and Iruka _almost_ fell for the jounin's whimpering. He shook all thoughts of letting Kakashi molest him when he saw his favorite blonde walk into Ichiraku's with a very handsome teen at his side.

For the briefest of seconds, Iruka couldn't help but look the Inuzuka heir up and down appreciatively. Kiba certainly had grown up into the gorgeous young man everyone had predicted he would be when he was a child. Even when Iruka first met the boy on Kiba's first day at the academy, he could see the masculine bone structure underneath the baby fat, the strong muscles that had already begun developing at his young age and the large hands that spoke of the tall adult he would grow up to be. Studying the teen for another moment, Iruka could easily tell that Kiba had yet to reach his full height. Though he already stood more than a full head over the blonde, Kiba was still somewhat disproportionate. Iruka estimated that, by the time Kiba was finished growing, he would be closer to Kakashi in height, though he would be far more muscular than the pale-skinned jounin whose hand Iruka could see out of the corner of his eye. Before those gloved fingers inched their way under the table, Iruka smacked them away and pulled his gaze away from Kiba long enough to glower at his lover.

"Iruka-sensei!!" Iruka turned back to the newcomers when he heard Naruto's voice. The boy sounded like his usual happy self, but Iruka knew that—for the most part—that happiness was a ruse to mask the pain Naruto felt. He had always tried getting the boy to open up to him, but Naruto hardly ever told him anything that went beyond his usual rivalries and his dream of becoming Hokage. Iruka smiled and waved at the two boys, receiving a calm wave from Kiba and, in the blink of an eye, a blonde growth around his middle. As his mind processed that it was Naruto clinging to his middle, Iruka wrapped his arms around the teen and hugged him tightly. Though he never admitted it to anyone—not even Kakashi—he had missed the blonde child more than he thought possible. Naruto was not simply his favorite student, but was almost akin to a son.

"Naruto, you didn't come visit me as soon as you got back," Iruka admonished the teen as he glanced down at Naruto's sheepish grin. He knew about the past few days between the two boys (having been filled in by Tsunade) as well as part of Naruto's family history. Though the Hokage had obviously omitted some important details, she told Iruka enough to make the brunette see why a relationship between the two teens was impossible. Though she had told him almost everything yesterday, Iruka had yet fully come to grips with the fact Naruto had a heart defect that, one day, would kill him. For that reason, he held the teen for a heartbeat longer than usual, as though he was trying to feel any change in the teen—any indication that Naruto was hurting, sick, or otherwise exhibiting the symptoms that would tell him Tsunade's prognosis was right. At first, he hadn't believed the woman, but he had then read the letter from Naruto's mother. The sheer amount of detail frightened Iruka—the woman even knew that he and Kakashi would become lovers after dancing around the subject for years—and he knew he could no longer deny the fact Naruto's heart would one day give out. Tsunade had told him, however, that the Uchiha's foresight had resulted in changing the future more than once, so Iruka had no other choice but to go along with Tsunade's plan to keep the teens away from each other. Even if it gave Naruto a few extra months, or even years, it could be enough for Tsunade and her progenies to think of a way to save the blonde.

"Gomen, Iruka-sensei...I meant to visit today, but I was training and lost track of time," Naruto admitted as he slowly pulled himself away from the chuunin. He had sensed the change in Iruka as soon as he had caught those doe eyes when he looked up at Iruka before. Naruto could feel there was something wrong and, from the brief glimmer of sadness in his favorite teacher's eyes, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach that it had something to do with him.

Iruka knew better than to worry about the teenager, but he still felt his heart skip a beat in fear when he heard Naruto had been training for the whole day. In earlier days, he probably would have just wondered if Naruto stopped long enough to eat or drink something, but now he had the added concern of Naruto's fragile heart. Is it safe for him to be training? He wondered as he looked closely at the teen. Naruto didn't seem to be in any kind of pain, or even mildly tired from his rigorous training, so all Iruka could do was bite back the worry he felt as he hoped Naruto didn't suspect anything. He didn't know how he would answer the perceptive teen if Naruto asked what was wrong.

"Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto's gaze wandered from the brunette to the jounin sitting next to Iruka at the table. Though there was another entire side to the small table nestled between two booths, the silver-haired man was brushing legs with the chuunin. From the familiarity between the two men, Naruto had to admit that they must have gotten to know each other in the two and a half years he had been gone. _What did I miss?_ Naruto couldn't help but wonder when he caught Iruka's blush out of the corner of his eye.

"Yo" was the only greeting Naruto received besides a raised hand. One of the teen's blonde eyebrows almost shot up into his hairline when he saw where Kakashi's hand had come from and, for an instant, he couldn't help but glance down at Iruka's lap. _What the...?_ Naruto mentally shook his head, dismissing any thoughts of the two men being intimate, though all the signs pointed to such a relationship. It couldn't be possible. Iruka would never let Kakashi seduce him, unless there was a great deal of alcohol involved. Right?

"I thought Tsunade put a ban on molesting Iruka-sensei in public," Kiba mentioned with a chuckle as he slid into the booth across from the two adults. The Hokage had actually ordered Kakashi to keep his hands off his lover when they were in public settings and it was possible for others to see. She didn't want to find that one of her best jounin had been killed in the middle of the night by his (quite frankly) crazy boyfriend. Kakashi's eye curved upwards and Kiba could somehow tell he was smirking perversely underneath his mask.

For a moment, Naruto was sure the last few brain cells Jiraiya didn't destroy fried as he thought of the implications of such a statement. His eyes widened as he looked at the brunette teacher for conformation and saw the quick look the two men shared. Though he could see annoyance in Iruka's entire body, his eyes held only softness for the jounin at his side. Whatever that emotion in Iruka's eyes was, it was something Naruto couldn't begin to describe except for that, somewhere deep inside him, he knew he wanted that. Love...he loves Kakashi...the teen finally realized as he finally placed the feeling in his chest as the same he had felt when he saw Hinata and Kankuro together. Though slightly different between the two men, Naruto could tell their love was just as powerful and rare as the eloped couple's. He certainly had missed some important events in the past two and a half years.

Sliding into the space next to Kiba, Naruto glanced around the large restaurant Ichiraku's had somehow become. He was slightly surprised they had such good business without him here. Then again, they probably had more than enough money from him alone to pay for this new building long before he even thought about leaving.

"So, how was the meeting last night?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly, though there was obvious mirth in his visible eye, as he looked at Kiba. The chuunin chuckled, recalling how Hiashi had stormed in and scared away his possible bride. Iruka, too, snickered at Kakashi's comment, having heard of last night's spectacle in the Missions office this morning. He could only assume his lover had heard about it through similar means.

"Did Kankuro and Hinata really elope?" Iruka asked, holding back the squeal he mentally let out. He couldn't help but think of such an idea as terribly romantic. If Kakashi ever asked him to elope, Iruka knew he would drop everything he was doing in the blink of an eye. He knew, however, that it was very unlikely that such a thing would happen. His boyfriend was as romantic as the Hokage Monument—Iruka had actually, on multiple occasions, had started to wonder if Kakashi felt any kind of emotions other than lust for him. Of course, all it took was a single kiss from the jounin to take his breath away—and to tell Iruka that, though Kakashi would never say it, he loved him in his own way.

"They couldn't deal with Hinata's crazy father," Naruto commented as he waved down a waitress and quickly ordered his beloved ramen—four bowls of it, he was proud to admit. Though he was holding back, he didn't want to scare Kiba away with his monstrous hunger for anything and everything ramen. Kiba might just regret demanding to pay for dinner...

"...how did you know?" Kiba asked curiously as he turned to look at the blonde. As Naruto gave him a toothy grin, he quickly ordered a bowl of beef ramen before the teen had the chance to tell him the wonders of pork ramen, which he was sure Naruto would do if he hadn't posed his previous question.

"Hinata and I talked yesterday...I was there when Gaara's brother finally caught up with her..." Naruto answered as he glanced over at Kiba. From the surprise etched on the teen's face, Kiba hadn't known Naruto had known about Hinata and Kankuro, let alone help them elope.

Kiba had to bite back a grin. He didn't want to openly show his appreciation for what Naruto had done—if it ever got back to Hiashi that he was happy for the couple, he knew his future as the man's son-in-law would be hell. _Son-in-law... _Kiba repeated to himself, still unsure how he would get out of this newest marriage prospect his father had thought of. Since Hiashi's family was just as strange as his own, there would be little chance of scaring the Hyuugas away. Then again, most of the dogs were too afraid of Hiashi, so there would be very little chance of them attacking him or his younger daughter. _Too bad... _Kiba couldn't help but admitting with an inward sigh. It would make things so much easier if Akamaru or one of the other dogs would just take a large chunk out of Hiashi's behind.

"Which how did those two get together, anyways?" Naruto asked curiously as he eyed Iruka's cooling bowl of ramen with a gaze that could only be described as pure desire. The brunette, picking up on the teen's obvious longing, slid the bowl over with a chuckle and Kakashi momentarily whimpered. The two of them had been sharing that bowl and, knowing Kakashi, he was far from done with that. Iruka simply gave his boyfriend, who seemed to have a bottomless pit for a stomach, a look that told Kakashi to let the bowl of ramen go—that he would definitely get much better things later.

Kiba, picking up on the silent exchange between the two men, let out a soft snort. Since Kakashi finally admitted to caring about Iruka as more than just a bed partner, the two men's connection had quickly blossomed into something Kiba knew was a relationship that others would kill for. The two now had gotten to the point where they could tell what one another was thinking by the smallest of gestures or looks. It was something Kiba had experienced when he saw Hinata and Kankuro together and, every time he stood dumbfounded as the two laughed over some unspoken joke, he knew that if he ever had the chance of having something like that, he would do anything for it. Almost involuntarily, Kiba found his gaze traveling to the other side of the table where his companion had his head, literally, buried in the, now, empty bowl. For a moment, Kiba wondered if he would ever have such a connection with someone, but then Naruto raised his face from the bowl and glanced at him with those impossibly blue eyes. If Kiba hadn't been one of Tsunade's more demanding patients, he would have wondered if he was crazy or coming down with something. In that one moment, as Naruto's eyes met his, Kiba could have sworn his heart stopped and time itself seemed to slow down. Almost as soon as those azure orbs stole his gaze, and his breath, they were ripped away as Naruto turned his ramen-coated face to the two adults on the other side of the table.

_WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!_

**You're asking me?**

_...for a second, my stomach and chest felt all weird..._

**I felt it too, baka...are you sure you should be eating ramen like that...maybe you're allergic to that kind or something...** the Kyuubi theorized, hoping her container wouldn't figure out what his momentary lapse really was. Naruto wasn't ready for such emotions...he needed to warm up to the idea instead of being blindsided by it. But how could it happen so fast? She wondered to herself, knowing that Kiba—or anyone else—had never brought about such a reaction in her kit. From the look in the heir's eyes now, she could tell he had felt it too—and hadn't been expecting it either.

"Damn it, Kakashi, I forgot that I had to work in the Missions office tonight!" Iruka cried abruptly, his loud tone making the other three males jump slightly as they all glanced at him curiously. As Kakashi quickly went over Iruka's work schedule, coming up with the fact his lover had felt a little too warm this afternoon for the jounin. Actually, it wasn't simply that Iruka looked and felt like he was coming down with something, but Kakashi had seen the tension in his lover's body as well as the all over dejection that encompassed his, generally, joyful lover. It was that barely contained emotion that got Kakashi to beg Iruka to call out sick, which he finally did after Kakashi all but sold his soul to the seemingly sweet brunette.

Kakashi had every intention of skipping his mission today to simply stay at Iruka's apartment, holding the man until Iruka was ready to talk to him, but his demanding stomach had ruined his idea of staying inside. The only reason they had gone out to dinner tonight was because Kakashi was, simply put, as deadly in his cooking as his fighting and he wasn't about to let a sick Iruka cook for them. Instead of pointing out the little fact that Iruka had definitely taken off tonight, like he would have done with anyone else, he remained silent and slid out of the booth as soon as Iruka had quickly said his goodbyes to the two teens. Kakashi had a feeling that, if he wanted any tonight, he would keep his mouth shut, so he did just that as he waved to the two before meekly following his lover back towards Iruka's apartment.

Once his chuunin finally slowed down from his ground-eating pace, Kakashi quickly caught up and fell into a comfortable stride alongside the shorter man. "Maa...you don't work tonight..." Kakashi finally said, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. Iruka wasn't a liar, but when he fibbed about something, Kakashi knew there was a very good reason for it.

"Did you see how Naruto and Kiba looked at each other?" Iruka asked as he kept walking, keeping his gaze down to the ground instead of glancing over at Kakashi. Even though he knew the chuunin couldn't see it, Kakashi nodded his head while raising an eyebrow at his boyfriend's cloudy reasoning.

"They like each other...so what? I'm happy for them...though Kiba's family is going to have some problems when they find out he's gay..." Kakashi replied quietly, making sure that his comment couldn't be overheard. He wasn't sure if Kiba was ready to come out and, even if he was, Kakashi knew the teen would rather not have that bit of information spread around by the shinobi community before he even told his family and friends himself.

"...no, that's not it..." Iruka answered, his voice so soft, Kakashi had to strain to catch the chuunin's words. For the first time since they left the restaurant, Iruka looked at him and Kakashi found himself sucking in a breath when he saw the tears glistening in his sensitive boyfriend's eyes. Crying, in Kakashi's mind, wasn't something to be ashamed of, but he was surprised at the surge of protectiveness that came over him when he saw those watery orbs. Iruka hardly ever cried with him around—tears of laughter or anger, yes, but this was different. He could see the pain and desperation in his lover's usually happy eyes.

"Iruka..." Kakashi held out a hand to gently touch the chuunin, but Iruka quickly pulled away. "What is it?" He asked as he followed Iruka. The brunet turned down the street toward his apartment. It wasn't until he trailed the chuunin through the front door of the second-floor home that Iruka finally made a sound. The ragged sigh that the chuunin let out cut deep into Kakashi and the jounin did the only thing he could think of. Pulling Iruka into his embrace before the younger man could argue, Kakashi wrapped his arms around the brunet's torso and gingerly kissed the small bit of exposed flesh on Iruka's neck. After a few moments of Kakashi's gentle ministrations, Iruka relaxed into his boyfriend's chest and tilted his head so he could see Kakashi out of the corner of his eye. "What's wrong?" Kakashi questioned as he brought a finger up to brush away the tears that were beginning to well up in his lover's eyes.

"Naruto...and Kiba...they can't be together..." Iruka said quietly, looking up into Kakashi's face. "You saw exactly what I did...there's something between them..." He didn't even want to say what he had realized earlier. If he admitted it out loud, Iruka was afraid that those predictions would come true and he wouldn't let that happen if he could help it.

"If you think Kiba's family will do anything to keep Naruto and Kiba apart, I'll take care of them...Naruto deserves to be happy..." Kakashi commented and received a small smile from Iruka. Sometimes, he wondered if Iruka was the only person who knew he had, somehow, developed a soft spot for the blond that was almost comparable to the chuunin's. Though he had no relation to the boy, Kakashi couldn't help but see something of himself...and his beloved teacher...in the teen.

"Naruto deserves to live," Iruka replied as he searched Kakashi's face for understanding. Of course, the jounin looked properly perplexed at his comment. For a moment, Iruka was hoping Tsunade would have shown her elite jounin what she had shown him...that he wouldn't have to say it himself. "Naruto...he...he's dying..."

"W-what?" Kakashi attempted to say, but only a soft gust of air came out as he looked at Iruka. He knew the chuunin would never joke about something like this, which only made his chest hurt all the more. "How?" he was finally able to get out as he tightened his arms around the brunet.

"...a heart defect Naruto's had since birth...if he and Kiba pursue this relationship...he'll die soon," Iruka whispered, recalling the pain he had seen in the Hokage's eyes when she mentioned how, the last event before Naruto's death was the 'joining of two powerful clans.' Of course, when Tsunade told him that she thought that meant Hinata and Kankuro's wedding, she didn't know the two had eloped. If that's what Naruto's mother was talking about...he'll die very soon...the brunet admitted to himself. He had to bite back as sob as he imagined what life would be like without Naruto—or without the knowledge that Naruto would return. His mother must have left that letter so that Tsunade could save Naruto...the chuunin thought to himself as he quickly told Kakashi about his meeting with Tsunade this morning.

Once he had finished, Iruka felt his lover's arms loosen their hold on him. Knowing that Kakashi was almost as close to the blond as he was, Iruka could only imagine what it was like for Kakashi to hear that not only one of his favorite students, but his cousin was dying. The first time Kakashi had told Iruka how his uncle had been none other than the Yondaime himself, Iruka had been not only surprised, but dubious. All it took was one quick glimpse in the village's records to see that the Yellow Flash had changed his surname when he had become a jounin—in hopes of protecting his family—but he had truly been born a Hatake.

"...Naruto...I wanted to believe it was just a coincidence that he and Minato's son had the same name and that he looked so much like him..." Kakashi finally admitted, his voice so fragile, Iruka didn't recognize it as his lover's. Turning so he could fully see the jounin, Iruka immediately went to wrap his arms tightly around Kakashi as the jounin let out a strangled gasp. "I didn't want to think that they could have been the same person...that he had been an orphan all those years..."

"No one knew he was the Yondaime's son, Kakashi..." Iruka pointed out quietly as he looked up into Kakashi's face and his eyes widened when he saw the smallest of tear stains running from Kakashi's covered left eye to the top of his mask.

"No, you don't understand...Minato named me Naruto's godfather...and I abandoned him..." Kakashi replied as he tried looking anywhere but into the face of his speechless lover. _All these years...I thought he had died in the Kyuubi attack...they must have been the ones spreading that lie,_ Kakashi theorized, his hatred of the Yondaime's in-laws coming back in full force as he realized what they had done to destroy Naruto's life.

He had thought he had gotten over his loathing for the Uchiha clan when they were slaughtered years ago, leaving one little broken child. After the massacre, Kakashi had silently followed Sasuke, keeping tabs on the boy to make sure he was doing alright now that he was an orphan. It wasn't that he felt any kind of remorse for hating the boy's family, though he did discover that he couldn't despise the little boy for the rest of his heartless clan. No, he had watched Sasuke for all those years because he realized that his godson would have been Sasuke's age...that he would have entered the academy the same time as Sasuke...that, if he had lived, he and the Uchiha might have been not simply cousins, but best friends. Smiling to himself, Kakashi recalled how he had all but begged the Sandaime to take the genin cell that contained Sasuke. The old man knew exactly how closely Kakashi had been watching the boy, and his reasons for doing so, and had agreed to the jounin's request. Looking back on it now, Kakashi couldn't help but wonder if the Sandaime had purposely put Naruto in that cell along with Sasuke—and had been so quick to give the jounin their cell—because he knew who the blond brat was.

"G-godfather?" Iruka repeated quietly, his eyes widening. It was the one thing he had been trying to find a loophole to for years—a way to adopt the child that no one else wanted. Since Naruto had no birth records, no family history, or anything that could validate him as a citizen of Konoha, Iruka couldn't fill out the necessary paperwork to adopt the orphan. No, not an orphan...Iruka corrected himself as he looked at his lover in a new light. He couldn't help but wonder how different Kakashi would have been if he had known Naruto hadn't died in the Kyuubi attack. He probably would have been a little less uncaring, perhaps a little more responsible. Maybe the jounin would have actually turned out into someone who could possibly say those three little words Iruka so longed to hear. "You were just a child when Naruto was born..." he pointed out as soon as he realized how long Naruto would have been living with Kakashi, changing his personality and life, if Kakashi had known his godson lived.

"I was already a jounin...an adult in the eyes of the village," Kakashi mumbled, his mind still on the realization he wasn't alone in the world—that he had family that he could have been taking care of this whole time. He made a mental note to rectify that as soon as possible. Following that train of thought, Kakashi wondered, for the first time in his life, if his apartment would be considered appropriate—not simply for company, but for someone else to live in. He didn't even wonder if Iruka cared about the messy state his house was always in, but for some reason, he cared what his godson would think. Perhaps it was because he had let Naruto down for all these years...or that the blond boy was his only link to his old life—a time where his uncle, his teacher, still lived.

Iruka caught the change in his lover's eyes and couldn't help but smile. Kakashi was, obviously, already planning on taking responsibility for the teen without realizing that Naruto was now a sixteen-year-old teen who had lived his whole life his own way and wouldn't be too pleased if he was forced into another lifestyle. Of course, Iruka couldn't help but agree with his lover. For years, he had begged Naruto to come live with him, but the blond always said that he wanted to live on his own. It had only been in the past two and a half years without the teen that Iruka started understanding why Naruto would refuse charity from him and anyone else who offered. He wanted to prove that he could do everything on his own, that he could take care of himself...that he was an adult and deserved everyone's respect.

Kakashi quickly hugged Iruka, letting his arms linger around the chuunin's torso, as he replayed the past few minutes in his mind. "...a heart defect..." he said quietly, his earlier bittersweet joy being sucked away to only be replaced by despair. Not simply was it something he couldn't help with, but even the best medical mind to exist couldn't heal the boy. "...you want to give Naruto time by keeping him away from Kiba?"

"Tsunade said that a few months might give her enough time to find a way to save him..." Iruka replied quietly before placing a kiss gingerly on Kakashi's chest. The jounin didn't have to say anything—Iruka knew he had gotten his point across. He was begging for his lover's help in destroying the teenager's chances at happiness with Kiba—but they had a chance of saving his life. Wasn't that worth it?

"Tell Kiba he has a few days to break the news of his engagement to Naruto...that should keep them apart..." Kakashi said after thinking for a moment. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of self-hatred as he formed a plan in his head. The jounin couldn't imagine what it would be like if someone was trying their hardest to keep him away from Iruka.

"...engagement?" Iruka repeated, his eyes widening. If it had been under different circumstances, Kakashi probably would have laughed at the fact his lover had yet to hear about that particular tidbit of gossip. Then again, Iruka hadn't gone to the Missions office today and that was where he got most of his juiciest bits of information.

"To Hyuuga Hanabi..." Kakashi stated as he recalled what Neji had told him this morning. Of course, the young jounin was more of a drama-queen than usual, so Kakashi had immediately been interested in what had happened. The teen had actually let the engagement slip as he mumbled about how Hinata's elopement was going to ruin his life. Kakashi could only imagine how closely Hiashi would watch his two teenage daughters and his nephew once his married heiress returned home.

"...but he's gay..." Iruka pointed out after staring at Kakashi blankly for several seconds. "How can he get married? How can Hiashi let his daughter marry someone who isn't going to love her? She's only a child! And I know what you're going to say...'it's a political marriage' and I don't care! I would rather let my clan die out than take away my child's chances at happiness!" Iruka quickly quieted down after that statement, his eyes softening as he recalled what they were planning on doing to Naruto. "That's different," he pointed out as he glared at Kakashi, knowing that his lover's thoughts were the same as his. "It's probably just puppy love between Naruto and Kiba...Naruto will get over it..."

Of course, Iruka help but feel terrible after saying such a thing. His son (for all intents and purposes) deserved happiness just as much as everyone else, if not more so...but he also deserved the life his mother had seen for him. Becoming the Hokage...having a family of his own—Naruto should be able to experience those things before dying. Ever since he spoke to Tsunade, Iruka had been trying to figure out how Naruto could become Hokage and have children if he was supposed to die soon. The only thing he could come up with was that Naruto's mother had foreseen two different futures for her son. He could only hope that they had altered Naruto's destiny enough to give Tsunade time to find a way to save him.

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"Thanks again for dinner," Naruto all but sang as he jumped up the last few steps to his small apartment. Turning around to look at the teen behind him, Naruto flashed Kiba a radiant smile. The brunet could see the fakeness behind the smile, but he could also tell that the shorter teen was actually happy—just not the boundless joy that the rest of his body bespoke. No, the mirth in Naruto's blue eyes was reserved, but still there.

As they reached the door to Naruto's apartment, Kiba couldn't help but recall their dinner after Iruka and Kakashi left. Naruto had become a fountain of endless questions concerning the academy teacher and his silver-haired, perverted sensei. Once the topic of Iruka and his choice in bed partners had been sufficiently hashed, Naruto had started in on all the other couples he had heard of since returning to Konoha. Since no one had ever answered his question about Hinata and Kankuro, it had been one of the first relationships Naruto had him explain as they dug into their dinner. It wasn't until the owner of the restaurant started telling them to leave that they finished their last bowls of ramen (twelve for Naruto, eleven for Kiba) and their conversation, then had a quick debate over who would pay. In the end, Kiba won the argument and dished out enough money to feed him and Akamaru for several months. He felt slightly proud of himself, however, when he didn't physically wince as he handed over the bills to a, then, grinning restaurant owner.

"You don't have to thank me...just promise when we have a rematch, you pay," Kiba replied jokingly, referring to their unspoken challenge of who could eat more ramen. Of course, the Inuzuka heir claimed he ate more, since the waitress flirting with him had put extra noodles in all of his bowls. The blond, in response, only snorted and said that he wasn't good-looking enough to warrant extra ramen. Kiba couldn't even take the taunt as offensive—he had a pretty good idea of how high the pedestal Naruto put his ramen on was. He had a feeling nothing—except free ramen—could top Ichiraku's ramen in Naruto's mind. Personally, Kiba preferred steaks (or any other kind of meat, for that matter), but he enjoyed ramen on occasion. And, after tonight, he knew he wouldn't have the urge to eat ramen for a long time.

"I won fair and square, Dog-breath," Naruto snorted, his radiant smile being replaced by a small smirk that Kiba found far more realistic—and beautiful—than any smile he had ever seen before on the blond's face. "And if you're going to flirt with the waitress, get me some free ramen too, ne?" he added as he started sifting through his pockets for his house key. Mumbling to himself as he repeated his day's events in attempts to recall where he had put the damned brass key, Naruto stuffed his hands back into his pockets to recheck them. Kiba couldn't help but lean back against the rickety railing as he watched the teen. He could smell the metal on Naruto, so he knew the teen had the key on him. Focusing his senses, Kiba quickly found the source of the pungent scent resting in a back pocket of Naruto's pants that he hadn't checked at all.

Unable to fight the urge, Kiba pushed off the railing and took the few steps to reach Naruto. The blond froze in mid-search when he realized how close Kiba was. He slowly looked up into the brunet's face and found himself letting out a squeak of surprise when he felt Kiba's hands circle his waist, pulling him flush against the taller teen's body. Naruto couldn't find it in him to fight the Inuzuka's actions. Instead, he found himself memorizing the feeling of being pressed up against Kiba's strong frame. Being this close, he could feel that there wasn't an ounce of baby fat left on the brunet. No, all of that flesh that filled out the teen's long limbs and his broad chest and shoulders was pure muscle that, even now, as Kiba gingerly held Naruto against him, was straining. Naruto had to bite back a chuckle when he recalled a line that Jiraiya loved using in his books—"his entire body hardened."

Hard would definitely be one word for the warm body Naruto found himself leaning into as he felt Kiba's one hand dropped much lower than his waist. For a moment, Naruto thought about asking what the hell Kiba thought he was doing, but any thought of propriety left him when he felt that large hand slip into his pants. In the past two and a half years, Naruto had had his behind touched more than once, but it had never felt like this before. The mere realization that Kiba's strong fingers were the source of the tingling pressure against his rear made not only Naruto's face heat up, but another entire region of his anatomy.

**Oooh...I think I'm starting to like this Dog-person...**

_YOU'RE RUINING MY MOOD!!! GO AWAY!!_ Naruto inwardly screeched as he wished he could beat the Kyuubi into silence. Talk about a slap of cold reality. He had to shake such thoughts from his mind when he realized Kiba's hand was no longer on his backside. Blinking momentarily at the blurry object dangling in front of his face, Naruto focused on the object and immediately recognized it as his house key. _That's where I put it...hold it...his hand was only in my pocket?!_

**Felt like it was much closer, ne?**

_What did I tell you about shutting up?_ Naruto retorted as he felt his face heat up. He was sure he was blushing furiously, but at the moment he didn't care. He caught a glimpse of the humor in Kiba's eyes and, before he was sure he lost his mind, he had the decency to smile sheepishly at Kiba, then quickly look away as he took the key from him.

Once the warm metal was resting against his palm, Naruto couldn't help but wonder how Kiba had been able to find his key. He could smell it...Naruto quickly deduced as he built the courage back up to look at Kiba again. No, what he had seen before wasn't just his imagination. Up close, Kiba's eyes were slit just like his own when he was channeling the Kyuubi's chakra. Those eyes, however, didn't have the evil or deadly glint that his usually did. No, Kiba's eyes were filled with laughter and something else that got Naruto's stomach to do flips. Also, being this close to Kiba, Naruto had the chance to take in all of the other teen's features. It wasn't simply the rock-like muscles or the overall size of him that was so intriguing, but his facial features as well. His face reminded Naruto of some statues he had seen made of marble far in the west.

The larger-than-life statues were meant to represent gods and, for a moment, Naruto couldn't help but toy with the idea that they used Kiba as their model. His body certainly would be one that mythical gods would have killed for, but it was his face that they would have destroyed the heavens to have. He was, beyond a doubt, perfection. His flawlessly proportioned eyes, with their delicate almond-shape, his chiseled jaw line and high cheekbones that were accentuated by his blood-red tattoos, his straight, elegant nose...damn, even his mouth, which was partially opened in a smirk, revealing inhumanly sharp canines, was perfection.

As he stared at Kiba, Naruto couldn't help but wonder how he hadn't realized how handsome Kiba was before. Perhaps it was because he never had a reason to look this closely at Kiba...or maybe it was because he never before had the urge to study Kiba's features. Inwardly shaking his head, Naruto knew the answer. Never before had he seen that look in Kiba's eyes—or, for that matter, anyone else's when they were looking at him. It was a mixture of desire, admiration, uncertainty, and something else that Naruto couldn't quite place.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Naruto," Kiba finally said, breaking the spell that had enveloped the two teens. He had to force himself to look away from those bright blue eyes or else he knew he wouldn't have the courage to speak—other than to say something that would probably get him to wonder which romance novel of Hinata's he had gotten it from. Before the blond had a chance to respond to his soft comment, Kiba quickly took his leave. With others, his actions could have been considered an escape, but an Inuzuka never fled—especially when there was no other reason than a blushing blond staring at him with clouded eyes. Kiba had seen that look in other people's eyes before and, a few times, those looks were directed at him, but he had never had his heart thump as loudly as it did when he found himself looking into Naruto's blue eyes.

Repeating his conversation with Tsunade over in his mind, Kiba stalked down the vacant street. He had promised the Hokage that he would stay away from Naruto, but he just couldn't explain her reasoning well enough. He knew his responsibilities to his own clan and, for that reason, knew the kind of weight that Naruto unknowingly held, but he had finally admitted to himself what—no, who—he was.

Closing his eyes as he walked, Kiba couldn't help but wonder if there was a way he could con some female friend of his to just carry a child for him. If someone could just give him that promise, he would have Tsunade make sure that his offspring would be male, so no one would have to go through such an experience again. Biting his lip as he thought about the idea, he made a mental note to ask Hinata if such a medical feat was feasible—preferably without having to go through the traditional means of conception, if it was at all possible.

Sighing to himself, Kiba knew that his idea was a long shot. Not only would he have to find a willing woman, but a way to assure his family that his sole child would be a boy that would continue the clan. Even if they went for the idea of a surrogate mother, Kiba knew they would never let him rest until he had at least one male heir. His family was quite forward thinking compared to the rest of the old clans, but they might not accept his plan on giving them the one male required to continue the clan. He would not only be the only leader of the Inuzuka clan who was a parent of one, but he would be unmarried at that.

Before the image of the blue-eyed blonde formed in his mind, Kiba shook his head and sighed. There was no way the village, in his lifetime, would ever become that liberal. Despite the fact a good portion of their most beloved shinobi were in love with someone of their own gender, the majority of Konoha's citizens thought of such a lifestyle as a weakness in character. Even though Tsunade had, for the past few years, advocated the belief that homosexuality wasn't a conscious choice and, as such, was just as natural as heterosexuality, most of the uneducated people still believed what their parents, and their parents before them, had preached.

Letting out another quiet sigh, Kiba couldn't help but wonder if he was making the right choice. A few times during dinner, that nagging doubt crept into his mind, but all it took was a glance over at the teen sitting right next to him, to quash such thoughts. Now that the blonde was no longer beside him, he couldn't help but question himself. He knew, beyond a doubt, that he would never find happiness with a woman. He did care about Hinata, Sakura, and the other girls he found himself in the company of, but he couldn't force himself to be attracted to them. Most men thought he was lucky, being surrounded by such feminine beauty, but Kiba didn't see it that way. Yes, he knew that his female friends were considered to be some of the loveliest of their generation, and knew that he would certainly describe them as beautiful if asked, but he would never ogle them or want to touch them like straight men did. They were close friends, or, in Hinata's case, a sister.

Of course, looking at the other side of the spectrum, Kiba couldn't recall ever being attracted to any man besides a certain blonde idiot. He was aware that even his male companions were proclaimed as the most handsome, or most beautiful, in the village, but they weren't what Kiba was looking for in a partner. He knew Neji was, by far, the prettiest boy to exist, but he couldn't imagine being with someone who, from a distance, was mistaken for a woman. Shikamaru and Lee were the exact definitions of masculinity, but Kiba didn't care about their bulging muscles. No, he knew he was looking for something more than the physical.

Since he was little, he wanted someone who could understand him, and his family's bizarre Bloodline Limit, without calling him a freak or being afraid of him. He imagined someone who, perhaps, could even come to understand what it was like to be looked at by some as a beast simply because of who he was. Since childhood, Kiba knew that such a person would be extremely rare, if not impossible to find, but he couldn't help but dream that he would one day find her (or him).

All of his dreams of the future did have someone by his side, but the features defining his partner as male or female were blurry. Actually, all of his mystery person's physical characteristics were hard to picture now. Some dreams, it was a brunette, others a redhead, but many times it was a blonde whose laughter made his entire body fill with joy. Realizing how his dreams, even years ago, seemed to focus mainly on features that Naruto held made Kiba wonder if, even as a child, he was attracted to the orphaned troublemaker because, even back then, he somehow knew that Naruto was the rare person he always dreamed about.

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Authoress: ...whoo! That chapter was a little long...gomen for taking so long in writing it...darn college keeps getting in the way!! Anyways, I just want to tell everyone that this chapter marks a BIG change in the plot of the story...not only does Kiba fina-freaking-lly admit to himself that he miiiiight just be gay, but he's starting to understand his attraction to Naruto...and how much he'd be giving up if he agrees with Tsunade and, well, everyone else...so, until next chapter...JA NE!!!...and please review...it makes me type so much faster!!!


	10. Chapter Nine

Authoress: aight…I'm on a roll this week…being on vacation is awesome!!...//throws her Honors books away// I'll get around to schoolwork later…now, on to Revealing a Kitsune!! And I also want to thank everyone for being so patient with my slow updating!!!

Disclaimer:…I didn't own Naruto last time I wrote a chapter…do you really think I own it now?

**Chapter Nine**

Iruka silently slipped out of his bed, making sure to gently lay his lover's arm around a pillow so Kakashi wouldn't wake up. The jounin, not noticing the switch, merely snuggled closer to the thick pillow as Iruka took a few slow steps backwards, holding his breath. Freezing when he saw his boyfriend's lanky frame shift ever so slightly, Kakashi's face turning towards the pillow, Iruka mentally prayed that the jounin wouldn't realize the brunet was no longer next to him. Letting out a soft huff, Kakashi buried his head back into his pillow, but Iruka didn't dare move again until he heard the jounin's deep breathing return to the rhythm Iruka recognized as that which Kakashi adopted when asleep.

Tiptoeing towards the door, Iruka took one quick glance back at his lover and couldn't help but smile sadly. Though he loved Kakashi with every fiber of his being, Iruka could not stop himself from feeling both jealous and angry because Kakashi had been blessed with the one thing Iruka had always dreamed of – a real, legal tie to the little blonde who seemed to worm his way into everyone's heart. Iruka was extremely happy that Naruto now had a real family, whether or not he realized it, but he couldn't help but think these secrets came to light far too late.

His conversation with Tsunade replayed in his head as Iruka, once clearing the bedroom door, slipped out of his apartment with surprising speed. Once his feet hit the dusty street, Iruka slowed his pace enough that he could look around the village as he walked towards the Hokage Tower. Every place he looked, he recalled a memory of the blonde that either made him chuckle or brought a saddened smile to his face. Throughout his childhood, Naruto had mastered hiding his true self, but every now and again, the real blonde broke through his façade. The first time Iruka recalled Naruto showing that side of himself was when they had been wandering down this exact street, discussing Naruto's chances of passing his upcoming spelling test. Iruka had been drilling words in the five year old boy's head since the early morning and that short walk was meant to be the one break they allowed themselves. As they walked, however, Naruto's attention had been captured by a young boy who must have been around his age. The little boy was the complete opposite of Naruto, but Iruka had seen how there was a connection between the two. The child was as pale as Naruto was tan, but he had the darkest hair and eyes Iruka had ever seen. His face lit up with a joy Iruka had never seen in the blonde as he swung between two people whose features matched his own. Immediately, Iruka had recognized the young man that held one of the boy's hands. He had taught the teen years ago, but he could never forget those eyes. Looking from the teenager to the woman the little boy clung to as well, Iruka saw a brilliant smile and soft, gentle eyes that Iruka could see the little boy obviously inherited. From the differences in ages, the chuunin quickly surmised that the woman with the two youths must have been their mother.

"Iruka-sensei!" Iruka waved to the trio when the teen, having obviously seen him, called out his name and pulled his companions towards the chuunin. Naruto, in a surprising moment of shyness, clung to Iruka's leg as the group approached them.

"Itachi-kun," Iruka greeted as the teen and his family members reached him, bowing respectfully. "It has been quite some time." He had heard that the teen had, like many shinobi, raced through his time as genin and chuunin in order to become one of the youngest jounin their village had ever had. The last time he had seen Itachi was at his jounin promotion ceremony, which all shinobi were expected to attend. The raven-haired teen, merely a child when he became a jounin, had been forced to mature far too quickly after being promoted if the lack of innocence in his eyes was any indication.

"It has…" Itachi was quick to agree. Turning towards his companions, Itachi gestured towards the woman and smiled. "I'm sure you remember my mother…Mother, this is Iruka-sensei…my pre-genin teacher from the academy."

The woman didn't stay a word of greetings, but smiled warmly at Iruka. The little boy at Itachi's side, who looked like a miniature replica of the young jounin, grinned outright at the chuunin. Iruka found the little boy's smile to be contagious as he returned the silent greeting. "And this is my brother, Sasuke," Itachi said as he lifted his arm that the child clung to. The boy, now being studied by several pairs of eyes, blushed and hid his face in his older brother's leg, much like Naruto was doing to Iruka's. "He will be entering your class next year, Iruka-sensei."

"Hello, Sasuke-kun…" Iruka greeted as he knelt down to look at the tiny child at eye-level. Sasuke peeked out from his brother's pant leg, quickly hiding his face again when he saw how close the chuunin was. Pulling the blonde growth from his own side, Iruka pushed Naruto forwards a little and chuckled at the look of mock betrayal on the blonde's features. "This is Naruto…he will be going to school with you next year."

The two boys studied one another with equal curiosity, but that moment of inspection quickly ended when Sasuke and Itachi's mother pulled Sasuke's hand, gaining the boy's attention. Iruka slowly stood back up as he watched the woman's once pleasant expression turn to one of extreme hatred, her glare directed at the tiny blonde who was waving to Sasuke in a friendly gesture. Seeing her reaction made Iruka's eyes narrow as he pulled Naruto behind his back before the little boy noticed the change in her at the mere mention of his name.

"Come, Itachi…Sasuke…we must go home," she said coldly, her gaze now directed at Iruka. Within those eyes, Iruka had seen not only the hatred she felt for the Kyuubi, but the five year old child who contained it and Iruka, who dared to take Naruto in as his own. Without another word or glance, she pulled the two boys after her. Itachi momentarily gave Iruka a curious look before following his mother. Sasuke, on the other hand, smiled at Naruto and Iruka, his expression clearly stating that, if his hands weren't being grasped by his brother and mother, he would have waved.

"Why do people hate me, Iruka-nii?" Naruto had asked quietly, his tone void of all the childish exuberance Iruka had grown accustomed to. Iruka turned to look at the child and found Naruto's blue eyes filled with unshed tears. The chuunin could only bend down and wrap his arms around the blonde, unable to think of a plausible lie that wouldn't hurt Naruto just as much as the truth. He simply hugged Naruto and told the boy that some people were mean for no real reason and that he would love the blonde no matter what. When he finally let go of the boy, he could see the understanding in those blue eyes and, for the first time, Iruka wondered if Naruto knew exactly what he was or, at the very least, had an idea of the creature that resided in him.

Closing his eyes as he tried to rid himself of the image of Naruto, his childish face filled with a mix of sadness and curiosity. That day, the first time Naruto and Sasuke met, was the first time Naruto asked out loud why people seemed to hate him for no reason. As he got older, Naruto acted out more and more, making that once sweet, selfless child faded away. Throughout the years of disciplining Naruto both as his teacher and his family, Iruka always had to wonder if Naruto was misbehaving simply so he could give himself a reason for why people hated him and scorned him no matter how he acted. Even Sasuke, the shy boy that Naruto had met at such a young age, had hated Naruto upon their second meeting. That first day at the academy showed Iruka just how much the opinions of parents can rub off on their children. Almost every single child, with the exception of Hinata, refused to go near or speak to Naruto. The little Hyuuga heiress, on the other hand, sat right next to Naruto and shared her crayons with him without a second thought. The memory of the adorable picture of the two sitting side by side caused the chuunin to bring a hand to his face, quickly wiping away the mist that came to his eyes. Naruto probably didn't remember that day, or even his first meeting with Sasuke, but Iruka could never forget them.

With beginning the academy, Naruto's behavior only worsened as he tried to get his classmates' attention, whether it was their laughter or outright disgust. Hinata was the only person who never laughed at Naruto, but her shyness created a wall between them that had never been breached in all their years together in the academy.

Taking a deep breath, Iruka looked around the quiet village, recalling his adoptive son's first bowl of ramen, his first haircut, his first orange jumpsuit…there were so many firsts that Iruka felt his heart plummet. He couldn't imagine what life would be like without the blonde around him. If Tsunade couldn't find a way to heal Naruto, Iruka would never be able to see Naruto's first real date, the boy's first day as a chuunin…as a jounin…he would never be there for Naruto's first appearance as Hokage. He wouldn't see Naruto's first child, his first smile of fatherly pride. Iruka bit his lip, recalling how the little blonde child had changed his own life. Naruto had given him a reason to live after his parents died; he had forced Iruka to finish his training and go into teaching so that he could have a stable enough job to take in the orphan, whether it was a legal adoption or not.

Naruto gave Iruka a reason to smile again and hope for the future. The blonde showed Iruka the power of unconditional love and the courage and resiliency of people. Naruto was the reason Iruka was not an emotional cripple like so many other shinobi who had experienced the Kyuubi attack. He made Iruka believe that there was a point to living.

Letting out an audible sigh, Iruka had to admit that Tsunade's plan was their best chance to save Naruto – or at the very least, to prolong his life a little longer. He closed his eyes, wishing that there was some way to tell if his decision was the right one. Would it be better for Naruto to live or to love? Trying to put himself in Naruto's place, Iruka took a gasping breath when he imagined a long life without Kakashi at his side. To live without ever knowing what it was like to have the jounin smile at him, to brush his masked lips against Iruka's forehead, or to simply hold Iruka in his strong embrace. He would never know Kakashi's deep laugh or the way the jounin touched him as though he was being worshiped. He wouldn't be able to picture the way Kakashi spread out, taking up as much room as possible, when he slept or how Kakashi pulled him close, nuzzling the top of his head, as he whispered incoherently in his sleep. Iruka wouldn't be able to recall how, if he woke up in the middle of the night, he could sometimes catch the jounin watching him sleep, gingerly running his fingers across Iruka's face as though he was burning the image and feel of his lover into his mind. Iruka wouldn't know the feeling of complete security and perfection as he nestled his head on Kakashi's chest with the jounin's fingers intertwined with his own.

To give all of that up simply to have a few more months or years didn't seem fair, Iruka inwardly admitted, but he was quick to compare his situation with Naruto's. Naruto hadn't been in a relationship with Kiba for as long as Kakashi and Iruka had been together…they couldn't possibly be in love on the level Iruka and Kakashi were. Iruka bit his lip as he recalled how, within the first few moments of meeting Kakashi, he had _known_ there was something about the mysterious jounin. Every accidental brush of hands or meeting of eyes had thrown Iruka into a miniature heart attack and the chuunin panicked, wondering if Kakashi knew about his infatuation. _It couldn't be like that between Naruto and Kiba…_he tried telling himself, but he had seen the look that had been shared between the boys last night. A look like that had been what finally gotten Kakashi to throw Iruka against a wall and ravish his mouth with intermittent curses, claiming Iruka had been toying with him for too long. Iruka took a ragged breath as he looked at Naruto and Kiba's situation as though they were just like him and Kakashi. He would rather die than miss one moment with Kakashi at his side.

Iruka brought his hands up to his face, trying to soak up his tears with the sleeves of his shirt, but found his eyes were filling with water faster than he could hastily dry his eyes. Sucking in a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down, but only succeeded in letting out a soft sob. His quiet crying quickly ended when he felt strong, familiar arms wrap around him, twirling him around so he could bury his head into the soft green vest.

"What's wrong, Iruka?" Unable to answer his lover's soft inquiry, Iruka only wrapped his arms around Kakashi's midsection and held on tightly, soaking the jounin's vest with his tears. Kakashi, quickly guessing what had gotten Iruka to break down, tightened his embrace and rested his chin on top of Iruka's head. "Tsunade will save him…"

Iruka took several deep breaths before attempting a response to Kakashi's hopeful statement. "That's not it…how can we keep them apart?" Looking up into his lover's visible eye, Iruka smiled sadly. "What if they were meant to be together…like us?"

Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed when he heard that quiet inquiry come from his soft-hearted lover. He had never questioned his luck in finding Iruka, knowing he was far from worthy of the brunet's affections, but the thought that there could be other people whose relationships were just like theirs – just as fated – surprised Kakashi. If Naruto could ever find someone who made him feel as Kakashi did, the jounin would have felt overjoyed (though he would never admit it to anyone other than Iruka), but what if that person happened to be Kiba? Kakashi wasn't sure if he could knowingly separate the pair if they cared for each other like he and Iruka did. Were a few months worth it? Even if it would give Naruto years, would that time be worth living without someone by his side? Kakashi could not imagine how he would feel if someone else made such a decision for him. Would he prefer living without the brunet or dying with Iruka by his side? Kakashi didn't hesitate in making a choice if he had a say in the matter. He would rather know Iruka's soft smile, his warm embrace, and the sparkle of unconditional love in those doe eyes for a moment than live for eternity without them.

"Tsunade-sama called a group of us together tonight…to decide what we should do about Naruto…as the closest thing to family Naruto had growing up, she is giving me the most say…" Iruka whispered as he brought a hand up to touch Kakashi's masked jaw. The jounin pressed his cheek into Iruka's gentle caress, knowing how difficult Iruka's decision would be.

"What will you tell her?" Kakashi asked quietly, searching Iruka's watery eyes for any indication that Iruka had put himself in Naruto's place like the jounin had. Seeing the barely contained pain in those brown eyes, Kakashi received his answer.

"I couldn't imagine life without you…but I'm selfish…I want Naruto to live…" Iruka stated, his eyes studying Kakashi's face, memorizing his lover's features that, though covered at the moment, he could imagine as easily as his own. "Just a few months, then they can be together…"

"Will it be enough?" Kakashi questioned as he loosened his hold on the chuunin. Iruka barely shrugged as he stepped backwards, catching the jounin's hands in his own. "Can I speak at this meeting?" Kakashi squeezed Iruka's hand gently, assuring the chuunin that, no matter what Iruka decided, Kakashi would stand beside him.

"You have just as much say as the rest of us…if Tsunade had known that you are Naruto's godfather, she would have certainly invited you too…" Iruka replied as he turned and began slowly walking towards the Hokage Tower. Kakashi refused to release his hold on one of Iruka's hands, clinging to the chuunin's fingers in a public display of affection, which were quite rare unless Kakashi had the urge to make his lover blush.

"Who else is going to be there?" Kakashi asked curiously. He assumed Tsunade and Jiraiya would both be there, but who else would Tsunade think have a right to decide Naruto's life? Without a doubt, Naruto himself was not even considered, but would Kiba be there?

"I'm not sure…she just told me to come at midnight to the Tower," Iruka admitted softly as he turned onto the street that, until right now, he had never dreaded walking down before. Looming before him was the Hokage Tower and Iruka couldn't help but think of the building as looking ominous. Slowing their pace as they reached the entrance to the building, the shinobi shared a glance before entering the silent tower.

Squeezing Iruka's hand as they walked towards the Hokage's office, Kakashi studied his lover. Iruka's shoulders were sagged with the invisible weight of this decision. The chuunin shouldn't have to make such a choice. No one should ever have to be given such an ultimatum, whether it was in reference to themselves or ones they loved.

As the pair reached the doors to the Hokage's office, Iruka glanced over at Kakashi and saw a hint of a supportive smile on the jounin's masked features. Taking a deep breath, Iruka pushed the door open and was surprised by the shinobi already contained in the small office. As soon as Kakashi soundlessly closed the door behind them, Tsunade looked up with bleary eyes and waved to the two.

"Iruka, Kakashi…" she greeted, her voice cracking as she looked at the two. She had been assuming Iruka would come alone, but as she viewed the two now, she couldn't believe she had thought such a thing. Iruka would certainly need his lover's support for such a decision and Kakashi, being one of Naruto's teachers as well as his cousin in name (and blood as far as most shinobi knew), should have some sort of say. "Now that everyone is here, we can begin." She looked around at the collection of shinobi, her eyes finally settling on Jiraiya. The man had not said a word since arriving, but the tortured look in his eyes spoke far louder than words.

"As you all know, we are here to discuss Naruto's future," Tsunade said softly. As soon as she spoke, she heard Jiraiya take a deep breath. The man had yet to fully accept her secrecy all these years and was far from forgiving her. "What not all of you know is the story behind Naruto's birth.

"As all of you know, or at least have guessed, Naruto is the only son of the Yondaime. He is, through his mother, also one of the three surviving Uchiha." This observation brought a round of quiet gasps from a few of the room's occupants. Taking a deep breath to prepare herself for her next comment, Tsunade continued, "He is also Jiraiya and my grandson. The Yondaime was our son." This statement brought about a far louder response from the shinobi. She had not told anyone in the room, with the exception of Jiraiya, that fact and, from the strange look that came to Kakashi's face, the jounin had quite a few questions.

"How is that possible?" Kakashi asked, his eyes focusing on the Hokage. "He was born a Hatake." For a few in the room, this came as a surprise, but Tsunade ignored the widening eyes as she nodded her head at Kakashi's observation.

"He was switched at birth…your grandmother had a miscarriage, but we made everyone believe she carried the baby for the whole pregnancy and had given birth to him…" she replied quietly as she looked to Jiraiya, who only looked at her with eyes filled with betrayal. He had been robbed of precious years with both his son and grandson because of her lies. Tsunade could only give him an apologetic look. "That doesn't make you any less his cousin, Kakashi…"

"Godfather," Kakashi corrected quietly. Feeling his lover gently squeeze his hand, Kakashi glanced over at Iruka and saw the chuunin smile. Taking a deep breath, he elaborated, "the Yondaime named me Naruto's godfather…but everyone told me he had been killed in the Kyuubi attack…I never thought the Uchiha clan would lie about such a thing…"

"Then you and Iruka really do have the most say" was all Tsunade could say in response to such an admission. It seemed like everyone related to Naruto had been deprived of the relationship they should have had with the boy because of a growing pile of lies. Tsunade took another deep breath, mentally deciding that the lies had to finally stop before it was too late. She took another glance around the room and saw that everyone, with the exception of Jiraiya, was waiting for her to continue speaking. "Naruto was born with a heart defect that proved deadly…placing the Kyuubi in him…revived him…" she said quietly as she looked around to gauge the shinobis' responses. Almost everyone, with the exception of Jiraiya, could only look at her with pity. Naruto's life was one that, without the curse of the Kyuubi, would have been extinguished long before it truly began. "The Kyuubi could not heal him…only keep him from dying. Now that he is growing and their chakra melding, the Kyuubi can no longer save him. Naruto's heart can give out any minute." This last statement she whispered. Finding out about Hinata and Kankuro's elopement had caused her own heart to momentarily stop as she tried to think of how much time Naruto might have left. Would it mean he had hours, days, or perhaps even months if she was lucky?

"T-Tsunade-sama…" A soft, whispery voice caused the collection of adults to turn and look at the only three teenagers in the room. The young man stood behind the two seated girls, his arms wrapped reassuringly around the girl who had spoken. Hinata slowly stood from her seat next to Sakura, disengaging her hands from Kankuro's before stepping into the center of the room. "T-the m-medical issue you always asked us about…" she trailed off as she glanced over at her fellow medic student. Sakura's eyes had already filled with tears as she listened to the Hokage's story.

"It wasn't hypothetical," Tsunade replied as she studied the newly married couple. She had all but dragged the pair back from their wedding ceremony with an urgent summons tonight. Tsunade always thought her summoning jutsu was a good idea, in case she ever needed one of her students in a matter of moments. She never thought she would have to use it because she had to have an emergency meeting that her students needed to be a part of. Their growing medical knowledge, as well as their familiarity with Naruto, could prove invaluable. Kankuro had accompanied his wife not only because he happened to be holding Hinata's hands when the girl was summoned, but because he had studied medicine in Suna.

"But what decision do you have to make? We should be holding Naruto in the hospital where we can help him in case his heart gives out," Sakura stated loudly, the beginning of a stubborn pout coming to her lips. She would never admit it, but Naruto had wormed his way into her heart and the knowledge that he might die soon left an ache in her chest that Sakura had never felt before.

"We may be able to get a few more months if we can keep him and Kiba apart," Tsunade replied, her statement hardly audible. She picked up the letter from her desk that had both given her hope and dashed her dreams for her grandson's future and handed it over to Hinata. The girl quickly scanned it, and then handed it off to Sakura. "Naruto's mother foresaw his death…if nothing was done to prevent something, events always followed her predictions."

"That's not fair to Naruto or Kiba!" Hinata all but yelled as she glared at the Hokage. She had seen firsthand what Naruto's return had done for Kiba. It was as though Kiba's reason for living had returned. The boy's stress disappeared almost overnight and he had begun smiling like he used to before Naruto left the village. Naruto, too, had shown some differences since returning. She had caught a glimpse of Naruto's expression when she and Kankuro finally decided to elope. The only way she could describe the look in his eyes was longing. Naruto had wanted someone to love and be loved in return. Hinata could not think of anyone who could do such a thing better than Kiba.

"It might save Naruto's life!" Jiraiya, finally opening his mouth, blurted out as he quickly stood up. He turned to look at Tsunade, who obviously agreed with him. Glancing over at Iruka and Kakashi, he could see that the two didn't wholly agree with his observation.

"_Might_…are you willing to gamble Naruto's happiness on that?" Sakura retorted as she stood up next to Hinata. "Naruto deserves love more than anyone else. Why don't you let him make the decision on his own?" She glanced over at the newly married couple and could see that they would have made the same comment if she hadn't beaten them to it.

"He wouldn't be able to deal with everything…knowing who his family is…that he is _dying_? That would kill him faster than any damage Kiba could do," Jiraiya replied as his hands tightened into fists. "If it doesn't cause his heart to fail him, he might finish the job himself…" He whispered this as he looked to Tsunade. The Hokage's expression was haunting, making his chest ache as he recalled that she was going through the same kind of emotional turmoil he was. He glanced over to Iruka and Kakashi. The pair took this news better than he would have thought. The only visible change that he could see was that Iruka smiled sadly. From that small reaction, Jiraiya could tell Iruka knew about Naruto's self-destructive habits.

"Naruto isn't suicidal!" Sakura claimed as she slammed a fist into the wall, breaking a hole through the Tower wall. Cringing as she brought her hand back through the newly made opening, Sakura rethought what she said. She had always had a feeling Naruto was hiding something and, though she didn't want to admit it, she could easily see now how emotionally unstable the blonde was. "He wouldn't…" she said quietly for her own benefit more than anyone else's. Being depressed or inflicting pain did not mean he would take his own life. Imagining what it would be like to discover her family deserted her, orphaning her, would probably be enough to push her over the edge. The realization that she was never meant to live would have certainly done it. Sliding back into her seat as the shock of Naruto's instability hit her, Sakura glanced over at Iruka and saw the chuunin was biting his lip to hold back tears. Iruka had always known that, behind that happy exterior, was the unhappiest child to exist.

"What should we do?" Tsunade asked as soon as she saw Sakura had accepted this possibility. The teen obviously had changed her mind about Naruto's fate as soon as she realized his instability might mean his death. Hinata, on the other hand, seemed slightly doubtful, much like Iruka and Kakashi. The only person who really had not made any motion to give her input slowly rose from her seat and stepped out into the sight of everyone.

"Kiba is stubborn…how will we keep them apart?" Kurenai asked softly as she looked to the Hokage for an answer. "He is bound to go against your direct orders and see Naruto if you forbid him to…"

"Suna can take him as a diplomat," Kankuro said softly as he looked to the Hokage. His brother would certainly agree if he knew that his fellow container was in danger. Also, Kankuro had the feeling Gaara would get along quite well with Kiba. There was something almost animalistic about the Inuzuka, allowing him to understand the young Kazekage in a way no one else could.

"All I ask for is a few months…" Tsunade pleaded softly as she looked to Iruka and Kakashi. She had already accepted that Iruka should have the most say in Naruto's future, but that didn't keep her from feeling the hurt that came with such a right. She was related to the teen by blood, but she didn't raise him as her own, seeing him hated by so many and, as a result, create a façade to hide behind simply so he could go on living. What hurt more was that Kakashi, legally, had more of a right than her to decide her grandson's fate.

"Will you not stop them from being together afterwards? Even if it means the Inuzuka and Uchiha lines…and both of yours…die out with them?" Iruka asked as he looked to Tsunade and Jiraiya. Both sannin nodded their heads without hesitation; their lines were not as important as their grandson's life and happiness. "Then I…I give my consent…but you only have a few months," Iruka said with a deep sigh.

"No more than four months…" Kakashi said with finality and Tsunade knew better than to argue with the jounin. She knew that, if she couldn't find a way to save her grandson in four months – if he lived that long – there was little hope she could figure out how to save him before his heart defect stole his life. With whatever time he had after four months, she would gladly give him the happiness he so deserved.

"W-will you take Naruto off missions?" Hinata asked quietly, bringing up very good points with her question: Would it be safe to have Naruto out on missions, outside the village and away from Tsunade's watchful eye? Would it even be a good thing to let the teen train and put more strain on his already weakened heart?

"I can keep him from physical training for some time," Jiraiya admitted, recalling how he wanted to work with Naruto on the boy's chakra control some more. If the teen devoted all of his training to the physically undemanding chakra training, his heart would be under far less stress, and perhaps that would give Tsunade more time to find a way to save their grandson.

"So it is decided…" Tsunade said softly as she glanced over at the pictures of past Hokage. For a moment, she could have sworn her son's picture held a definite look of disgust. _It is the only way to save him…_she thought apologetically. If there was any other way to protect her grandson, she would have gladly embraced it, but no one had been able to come up with a good idea. All she could do now is hope that Naruto had four months left and that those four months would be enough time to work a miracle.

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Authoress: Okay…officially depressing chapter for me…I seriously cried when Iruka was thinking about a life without Kakashi and visa versa…//clings to boyfriend// I got the inspiration for the kind of bond between Iruka and Kakashi (and Naruto and Kiba) from my other half…imagining life without him…//shivers// it wouldn't be worth living…aaaaanyways…I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter…I know it is kind of short, but I wanted to get something up just because I have SUCH ideas for this story, but I wanted to get this part over with before picking up the pace a bit…so, please review and tell me what you think about the chapter and tell me what you guys want to happen next…I can't guarantee I'll write it, but I'll definitely take it into consideration…so, until next time, ja ne!!


	11. Chapter Ten

Authoress: yosh! I'm back with a new chapter of Revealing A Kitsune!! I'm in the mood to write, so I'll keep my rants short...

Disclaimer: no, I don't own Naruto...but could you imagine the possibilities if I did?

**Chapter Ten**

Kiba stretched lazily as he opened his eyes to look around his sun-lit room. Judging by the brightness of the daylight, it had to be later in the morning than he was used to sleeping to. He had a feeling that his most recent dreams had something to do with his well-rested condition. Kicking his rumpled sheets away from his legs, the teen glanced around for Akamaru. Finally catching a glimpse of the canine sleeping underneath his desk, the brunet chuckled. Slipping out of the bed silently, Kiba snuck over to the puppy and, with a speedy movement even a jounin would be proud of, the teen picked up his dog and, even as Akamaru continued snoring softly, the teen raced towards the bathhouse.

The white dog did not have the chance to wake up and see the large body of water he and his master were quickly approaching. If he had, he might have had been able to save himself from his master's idea of a joke. With only a soft chuckle, Kiba threw the still slumbering dog into the unheated water, who was rudely awakened with a loud yelp. Growling as he quickly paddled for the edge of the bath, Akamaru glared at his master. He had been having a wonderful dream of playing with Kankuro. The young man was always energetic enough to try running away when Akamaru wanted to play fetch.

"Good morning, sleepy-head!" Kiba called as he watched his soaked dog clamber out of the bath. "That's what you get for waking up late." He felt no need to mention how he had overslept as well. He and Akamaru had always had an ongoing challenge of who could wake up first and, thus, have the opportunity to do something horrible to the other. That old game had somehow faded away in recent years, but something about this morning made Kiba feel like a little kid again and he felt the urge to actually play with the dog.

Looking at Akamaru as the dog shook himself off, Kiba let out a huff of air. Even soaking wet and, as thus, smaller-looking than his usual fluffy self, Akamaru was still an impressive size. Looking at the dog as he gave one more violent shake to dry himself off, Kiba had to admit that he would have to stop looking at Akamaru as a puppy soon. The white dog was already the size of his parents, but his immense paws told Kiba that the canine had yet to reach his full size.

_Aren't you a little old for these tricks?_ Akamaru asked begrudgingly as he watched his master look at him with a curious expression. Sitting back on his haunches, Akamaru cocked his head and saw remnants of a glimmer of amusement in his master's eyes. The rest of the boy's expression told another story, however. The nostalgia was obvious in Kiba's inhuman features. The teen looked as though he had finally realized that they really were too old for their childhood pranks.

"Sorry, I just..." Kiba did not know how to explain that moment of childish glee when he saw his dog was still sleeping or the instant need to wake up the canine as rudely as possible. His age was always in the forefront of his thoughts – due to his family's insane plots of arranging his marriage – but he had never really thought of his age from the other end of the spectrum. Though he was sixteen, Kiba could no longer consider himself a child. He was closer to adulthood than anything else. That realization hit quite hard and the teen rocked back on his heels before he fell to his knees. Within the blink of an eye, Akamaru was at his side and Kiba's arms were around the dog's wet neck.

_What is wrong?_ Akamaru knew better than to let his concern show in his soft barks, but as Kiba bowed his head, pressing his face into Akamaru's damp fur, a wave of worry ran through Akamaru. For a moment, the dog could not help but wish he had hands so he could return the embrace. Settling on nuzzling the teen's cheek with his snout, Akamaru waited patiently for his master to respond.

"Do you think my parents are right...that I should get married?" Kiba asked as he finally let go of Akamaru and sat back on his heels. Akamaru took a step back so he could look at his master's face and, for a moment, he caught a glimpse of the child Kiba had once been. Since he had hit puberty, Kiba's childhood fears of being a runt – of not filling all of his clan's expectations for him as, not only an Inuzuka, but as the heir and future leader of the clan – had disappeared. That old fear of not being good enough to be the perfect heir his family wanted was quickly returning to Kiba's dark eyes. The fact that Kiba had already fulfilled almost all of his family's expectations didn't seem to be a factor in Kiba's moment of irrational fear. He was no longer one of the smallest children in his class; he sprouted into one of the tallest and, by far, one of the most physically powerful teens Akamaru had ever seen. His intellect had finally revealed itself, though too late to prove to Iruka that he was the genius his family always though he was. It was a change that had happened almost overnight, much like the forging his and Akamaru's bond.

_What brought this on?_ was the only thing Akamaru could ask as he watched his master glance up from the floor for a moment. Kiba let out a sigh that shook Akamaru to his very core. Whatever the teen had finally realized was more than their youth was flying by.

"I'm almost an adult...and I have a responsibility to the clan," Kiba stated softly as he hesitantly stood back up. Quickly suppressing all of the images of his most recent dreams, all of which included a blonde with eyes a more shocking blue than the sky itself, Kiba bit his lip. His budding plan of somehow finding someone who would be willing to carry an heir for the Inuzuka clan was quickly dismissed as a childish fantasy. There was no other way to keep his clan alive and, with that realization, Kiba could not help but wonder how he could both have what he wanted – be who and what he was – and save his family at the same time. "There's no way I can..." He could not even speak those few words – how could he possibly mention that impossible future with that quiet, broken teen who hid behind a facade of joy and energy when his family's very continuing existence depended solely on him?

Akamaru bit back the instinctive retort of "do what makes you happy" because he understood Kiba's position. From birth, the Inuzuka had been taught that, above all else, his family was the most important aspect in his life. They would be the only ones who could possibly know what it meant to be part of the clan. They would kill for him...and they would, without a single moment of hesitation, die for him. They would protect him from every possible form of harm, but no one in the family could save him from the torment of choosing between them and happiness. Akamaru could not help but recall the brief conversation he had had with that blonde teen some time ago. Naruto certainly would be the only person outside the Inuzuka clan who could understand the canines, but he also had another gift – he might just be the only person who would be able to sympathize with Kiba. He knew what it meant to not be neither fully human or animal. He had felt those same primal urges, those moments of irrational rage or instinctive hesitancy if anything about his surroundings changed. He understood what it was like to involuntarily be on guard at all times. But, above all, Naruto knew what it was like to pretend to be happy for the sake of others.

Kiba slowly stood back up and, with a lingering look into his dog's eyes, the teen let out a soft sigh. "I have to go to the Missions Office...why don't you go back to sleep?" Kiba said quietly as he turned to leave the bathhouse. Akamaru let out an almost inaudible whine as his master's shoulders slumped. Though the teen was quite open with his nin-dog, Kiba was stubborn beyond reason, which seemed to be a family trait. Emotions were one thing Kiba was never able to easily show his dog, much less discuss. If Kiba was conflicted about something, Akamaru knew better than to press his master for an explanation. Kiba would talk to him if he needed to, though that didn't make Akamaru feel any less concerned for the teen.

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Iruka blinked several times in attempts to bring the mission report on his desk back into focus, but failed terribly as he found it impossible to focus on the neatly written pages. All he could get out of the report was that someone had finally gotten it into their thick skull and taken a penmanship class – or at least took the time to write their report properly. Taking a deep breath, the teacher mentally cursed his boyfriend for keeping him up until the crack of dawn. Then again, it really wasn't Kakashi's fault that Iruka had wanted to burn the image and feel of his lover into his mind. That urge came soon after the meeting with Tsunade was concluded, which left the two shinobi hours to rediscover one another as they slowly made love. Sitting back in his seat, Iruka couldn't help but smile as he recalled their night together. Despite his rude, and at times downright mean, personality, Kakashi was astoundingly gentle and sensitive last night. It was in a single word perfect. It was almost as though it was their first time together, Kakashi was so hesitant with his soft caresses, his chaste kisses that trailed down Iruka's body, mapping out the chuunin in an unhurried fashion.

Blushing brightly at the memory of Kakashi torturing him with his sweet touches, Iruka had to quickly think of something else as he felt his body warm in need for the lanky jounin. "Oi, Iruka-sensei?" The chuunin nearly fell out of his chair when he heard someone call his name from mere inches away from him. Blinking several times as he felt his face take on a whole new shade of red, Iruka focused on the face of the handsome teen peering down at him. The young man was so close, his nose nearly brushed against Iruka's and, for a moment, Iruka couldn't help but wonder how the boy had gotten so close without the chuunin noticing him. If nothing else, he should have smelled the distinct aroma of wet dog the second the boy walked into the Missions Office.

"Oh...K-Kiba..." Iruka swallowed as he looked at the teen and, for a moment, swore he saw a glimmer of amusement in the teen's eyes. If it was possible to smell horniness or perverse thoughts coming from someone, Kiba would be the person to master the technique. In the past few years, Kiba had turned into what Iruka had started to fondly call a 'super-pervert.' The only other people who fit into that select category were Kakashi, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. The thought of Kiba knowing exactly what was going through the chuunin's mind caused Iruka to blush a deeper crimson as he coughed in attempts to settle his rattled nerves.

"Kakashi-sensei, eh?" was all that Kiba said as the teen leaned back to the other side of the desk, distancing himself from the teacher. He didn't want to tell Iruka that, to any passerby who knew of the teachers' relationship, the chuunin's line of thought would have been obvious from the color of Iruka's face.

"...um...is there something you needed?" Iruka asked as he warily glanced around the crowded Missions Office to see if anyone else had heard Kiba's comment. From the way everyone refused to meet his gaze, Iruka could assume they either heard Kiba's statement or had seen his flustered state for themselves and made their own conclusion.

"A mission..." Kiba stated the obvious as he leaned back on his heels, anticipating a long wait as Iruka shuffled through the massive pile of scrolls at his side for an appropriate mission. Since returning from his last mission with his old genin team, Kiba had been planning on taking on a solo mission, but had been putting it off simply because he had an urge to stay home. For what reason, Kiba had no idea until he had found out Naruto finally returned. His instincts had somehow known the teen was returning and, for that reason alone, Kiba knew he had to remain idle in the village. Now that he had seen Naruto for himself and, though he was still torn between his conflicting emotions, Kiba knew that a mission, whether it be a simple one within the village or one that took him outside of Konoha for a day or two would help to clear his mind. The added fact that he felt a need to have a mission had caused Kiba to decide that the Missions Office was where he should visit today.

"I have the perfect one" was the only thing Iruka could come up with as he blinked in amazement at Kiba's good timing. He was afraid he would have to run the teen down and somehow convince him that he needed to take a mission after several weeks of sitting around the village with nothing to do. Unlike other shinobi, Kiba was an heir to a wealthy clan, so he had no pressing need to make missions his profession. Much like others in the Inuzuka clan, Kiba had been taught by his family to take missions when his instincts told him to do so, or to stay home when he felt the need. Somehow, the Inuzuka clan had amazingly good luck because of their instincts – they knew which missions to take or which missions to refuse and, more often than not, those that they refused failed in ways no one could possibly have imagined and, if an Inuzuka had been part of the mission, it would have meant certain death for them. Iruka could not help but wonder for a moment how freeing such a situation would be. Iruka couldn't help but envy the teen a little.

Not only did their instincts protect them from fatal missions, but those same instincts resulted in very good business investments. Few people knew the Inuzuka clan was one of the wealthiest shinobi families to exist because the clan saw buying large homes and pieces of art or other shows of money as frivolous. They, instead, put a good amount of their money towards charities, schools, hospitals, and the such. Iruka was one of the few people, however, who knew this because the family had a long-standing tradition of donating money anonymously, not wanting to be famous for their generosity. Iruka only knew this because he had once caught the Inuzuka heir slipping a pouch into the teacher's desk years ago. The chuunin had once mentioned to his students in passing that they had to be careful with their textbooks because the academy did not have the budget to buy new ones that year. The very next day during the children's recess, he secretly watched the little Inuzuka placing that cheerily clinking leather pouch in his desk, oblivious of his teacher watching him with a proud smile on his face.

Iruka had been expecting to find a few coins, paper clips, and maybe an animal or two – the kind of objects that children believed to be worth a great deal at that age. Iruka never confronted Kiba about it because he had temporarily lost the ability to speak or even think when he had finally worked up the nerve to see exactly what that pouch contained. His fingers had gone numb as he poured the coins out on his desk, his eyes staring at a sum he had never seen at one time before in his life. Those few coins – the only time Iruka had ever seen coins of their immense monetary worth – were more than enough to pay for the books, the school, and probably enough would be left over to pay Iruka's salary for an entire year. Thankfully, he had waited until after his students had left for the day before opening the pouch because Iruka was sure he looked something like a fish for several hours after that surprise. When he finally regained his ability to speak, Iruka headed over to the Inuzuka clan's large home. He had been over to the family home a number of times – more often than not to speak to Kiba's parents about his need for discipline or a particularly bad grade – but he had never gotten the feeling that the family was any wealthier than the average family. If anything, he had believed the family might have problems paying for their large family because Kiba always wore ill-fitting clothes that had seen better days. It was not until years later, as he watched the Inuzuka growing up, that he realized that his wardrobe was due to the boy's hours of training every day as well as his astonishing growth. It was almost as though the boy noticeably grew before your very eyes.

When Iruka had finally been able to find Kiba's father in one of the kennels, playing with a pair of pale-coated puppies, the chuunin had handed over the pouch to the wide-eyed jounin. All Kiba's father could do, once he glanced in the pouch, was laugh with obvious pride in his tone. Iruka could clearly recall the man's words as he handed the pouch back over to the teacher.

"It is Kiba's money to give...he is old enough to know what he is doing," the man's booming voice had announced as he smiled at Iruka. Without stating his array of questions, Kiba's father told Iruka that the sum must have come from his son's investments in a little restaurant that he had bought several months earlier. Everyone in the clan thought the six year old was crazy, but they thought it would be better for Kiba to learn first hand that buying a dilapidated ramen stand with plans of somehow breathing new life into it was not a good decision. They were all stunned speechless when they watched the child's tiny shack bloom into one of the most famous eateries in Konoha. And, following with the Inuzuka clan's flippancy towards wealth, Kiba had freely given it over to the family who ran it, telling everyone that he did not need the money – he had already made more than enough of a profit. When those words finally sunk into Iruka's head, his respect for the child had grown to a level he never before knew existed. Kiba could have used that money for anything – a toy, a trip...whatever a six year old could possibly want – but he gave it to Iruka without a second thought or any recognition. After that day, despite all of the boy's failings, tricks, and otherwise bad behavior, Iruka could not see Kiba as a mean-spirited child. He was heaven-sent, though Iruka would never admit it to anyone else or even to the boy himself.

Though Kiba and his family were so flippant about their vast sums of money, they somehow still kept enough for themselves to support all family members who did not work for wages. Some were too old, others injured, so a large number of the Inuzuka clan did not go on missions, but there was still the instincts that all of them followed. More than half of the able-bodied Inuzukas at any one time were at home, sitting idle until they felt the need to go on a mission. That well-known trait of the family had resulted in the wholly incorrect rumor that the Inuzuka clan tended to be lazy. Though he knew better, Iruka at times felt slightly jealous whenever he watched one of the Inuzuka family pass up a well-paying mission in order to sleep in every day and relax for weeks or even months at a time. Ever since he became a chuunin, Iruka had never had a day, outside of holidays, where he had the time to roam around the village because he did not need to go to work.

Kiba raised an eyebrow at Iruka's long silence. When he had spoken, the chuunin almost sounded like he was surprised, but at the same time saddened, to hear that Kiba wanted a mission. Though he could tell Iruka was trying to hide his emotions, what the chuunin and the rest of the shinobi community did not realize was that the Inuzuka clan had such good hearing that even the best attempts of hiding the emotion in their voices failed. The ability was kept a secret because of its usefulness in diplomatic missions. There was only one person Kiba knew of who had been able to fool the Inuzuka senses – Naruto. But, then again, no one had ever heard the _true_ Naruto when they were growing up. Having now seen the person who hid behind that facade, Kiba could clearly hear the conflicting emotions in the teen's voice that not even Naruto realized were there.

Rifling through the scrolls at his side, attempting to make it seem like the mission was of no importance and he had placed it in with the mundane missions mostly given to genin teams, Iruka finally pulled the scroll out of the pile. Unlike the majority of scrolls sitting on his desk, this scroll was wrapped with a deep blue ribbon. Most people did not realize until they reached elite jounin status or worked in the Missions Office themselves that the color of the ribbon denoted what type of mission it was. There were a number of white and red ties scattered across his desk, revealing the genin missions as well as several recovery missions. There were even two black ribbons for the scrolls discussing missions dealing with enemies of Konohagure. Generally, these missions dealt with spying by working one's way up in the ranks of a group that worried the Hokage, but there were several ongoing reconnaissance missions in the Village of Sound. Blue, unlike the rest of the colors surrounding him, revealed a diplomatic mission.

"Here you go," Iruka said softly as he handed the scroll over to Kiba after opening the scroll up and running his gaze over it for show. There was no need, since Iruka knew the characters the mission contained by heart. He should, considering he had a hand in writing it before the secretive meeting with Tsunade was concluded this morning.

Kiba raised an eyebrow at the chuunin's odd tone, but knew better than to make any mention of it. Whatever it was that Iruka was trying to hide obviously had something to do with the scroll that Kiba now held in his hands. Glancing down at the piece of paper, Kiba unrolled it and found his eyes widening as he scanned over the official wording of what his mission entailed. "Suna?" was all he could get out as he sunk into a chair across from the chuunin, which had recently been put there for such reactions. Quickly looking up to Iruka momentarily before his eyes were pulled back to the paper, Kiba's mouth dropped in an open gape.

"Tsunade-sama said that the Sabaku family requested you," Iruka lied and, in his moment of astonishment, Kiba did not hear the untruth in the teacher's words. To be asked to another village as a diplomat was an honor few shinobi ever knew (though his family did have a bit of a record for it because of their unique abilities), but Kiba had never heard of anyone in his family being asked when only sixteen!

"I-I..." Kiba had a feeling that he was starting to look like a fish as his mouth opened and closed, making incomprehensible sounds as he tried to think of a reason Gaara or Kankuro would _ask_ for Kiba to return with them to Suna. He and and the Sabaku brothers got along well enough – more because of the fact the two teens were dating some of Kiba's best friends more than his actual enjoyment of their company – so Kiba could not understand why they would request him. There were surely better shinobi – older or more experienced shinobi – to pick for such an honor! Other than being the mediator in fights between family or friends, Kiba had no diplomatic experience to speak of.

"Tsunade-sama also thought you would be best suited for the problems over in Suna..." Iruka added, which was entirely truthful. Someone who knew Hinata well needed to go with her to the village and help plead her case – her marriage to Kankuro – to Suna's councils. Also, Kiba would be able to keep the Hyuuga heiress company when the realization of her choices finally hit. As far as Iruka had heard this morning, Hiashi was refusing to allow his daughter back into the clan's home, much less meet with her to discuss her new status as wife. From the curious look Kiba was giving him, the teen had yet to hear about the quiet girl's return to the village. "Hinata wanted you to go back to Suna with them..."

Kiba's eyes widened as he heard what Iruka's tone was hinting at. "Hiashi's not taking their elopement well?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. The prick of a man would certainly be fuming and had probably even gone to the point of disowning the teen because, for the first time in her life, Hinata actually _did_ something that went against everything her father had demanded of her. She did not marry the Puppet Master in a traditional wedding that Hiashi would be able to plan every moment of. She had not said her vows in the presence of her entire clan, nor did she even say them in Konoha. She married Kankuro for love, not the political connections Hiashi had always planned and there was no way Hiashi could possibly argue that that was the reason for the teen's relationship. Elopement spoke loud enough for itself.

"I suggest you go see Hinata..." Iruka replied quietly as he looked into Kiba's eyes, wondering if the teen realized how much Hinata had given up to marry Kankuro. From the glimmer of understanding in Kiba's eyes, Iruka knew that the teen was trying to imagine what it would be like to lose all connections with his own clan. Though the Hyuuga clan, at times, seemed quite cold to outsiders, they were a very close family that was very much like the Inuzuka clan in the fierceness they protected each other with. Only an unforgivable act would result in banishment from the family and, to lose that closeness with an entire group that could understand you on a level no one else possibly could, must feel like losing part of yourself.

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei," Kiba whispered as he unconsciously rolled the scroll back up, his fingers, like the rest of his body, numb. In that moment, he wondered how Hinata had been able to work up the courage to leave her family. He could not think of doing a similar act himself – how could he possibly give up his clan, the people who gave him life, raised him, and loved him unconditionally despite all his faults? They meant the world to him and, though they were demanding at times, Kiba knew in that moment that he would never want them to change. The only question Kiba could ask himself was: would she ever regret it? In a few months or years, would Hinata blame Kankuro for taking her away from her family? Though she would know it was her own choice, could she irrationally place the blame on him because it would be easier to deal with?

Without another word, Kiba found himself racing towards the origin of the scent of his best friend, which he seemed to always sniff for with every breath he took. The fact he could smell her, along with the masculine scent of Kankuro, told Kiba that they were somewhere close. Using every trick his family had taught him over the years, Kiba followed the lingering scent, which soon turned into an overpowering aroma as he found himself getting closer to the set of apartments set aside for Gaara whenever the Kazekage visited Konoha.

None of the Suna guards present looked at him twice as Kiba followed his nose, finally finding Hinata sitting on a small windowsill in a bedroom that, by the scent of it, must have been Gaara's until the small girl took it over. The overpowering scent of Neji and the Kazekage was almost enough to send Kiba reeling, but he quickly came to his senses when he saw the look in her eyes. Taking the room in several steps, Kiba pulled the girl into his arms and settled himself onto the windowsill with her in his lap. It only took a quick glance around the room to see Kankuro sitting in a chair, distress clearly showing in the Puppet Master's face. Kankuro mouthed a silent 'thank you' as he stood up and left the room in order to give the two privacy, knowing his wife was safe with the Inuzuka and if there was anyone who could help her out of her depression, it would be Kiba. On their entire journey back from the Hyuuga home, Kankuro had felt helpless, unable to comfort his wife. If anything, she pulled further away from him the more he tried to help her. For a moment, Kankuro felt a quiver of jealousy as he watched Kiba comfort Hinata in a way he never could, but he quickly quashed such a feeling, horrified that he could possibly envy the Inuzuka for being his wife's best friend from childhood. He had not imagined their marriage would be perfect – no one's ever was – but he was not expecting that he would have to let someone else comfort his wife because he had no idea how to. With that thought, Kankuro noiselessly slipped out of the doorway.

As soon as Kankuro was out of the room, Kiba took a deep breath and tightened his embrace around Hinata's still frame. He did not feel the tears soaking through his clothes, but he knew they were there. Hinata had somehow learned how to cry soundlessly and Kiba could smell the distinct tang of saline as he pressed his face into her soft hair.

"That bad, huh?" he asked quietly as he slowly ran his fingers along Hinata's back. To any outsider, it would have had the look of a lover's caress, but Kiba and Hinata had spent enough time together to be so comfortable with one another's presence that these gentle touches spoke far louder than words when one of them was in need of calming.

"H-he won't even look at me..." Hinata hiccuped as she spoke, her voice frail from emotion and tears. Kiba bit his lip, his chest aching as he put himself in the girl's position. If his father, even in jest, said that he did not want to see his son, Kiba would have been destroyed. Those few words would have hurt Kiba far more than any physical wound and the fact that Hinata was not in hysterics like Kiba would have been made the brunet respect her all the more.

"He's just pissed now...he'll get over it," Kiba stated with a certainty he was not entirely sure of, but he pretended for Hinata's sake. Hiashi had always been one of those people to anger quickly, but he would eventually forgive if it was something he could forgive. Considering Hinata and Kankuro's marriage was one that Hiashi had been planning on would definitely help the Hyuuga patriarch forgive his daughter.

"No one in the family would speak to me...it was like I wasn't there," Hinata said as she slowly pulled away from Kiba. She looked up into the brunet's unique eyes, seeing the understanding in Kiba's expression. No matter what Kankuro had said to her earlier, he could not possibly sympathize with her – how could he know what it was like to no longer have her family behind her, protecting her, loving her? There was a hole left in her heart that no amount of Kankuro's gentle caresses and even softer words could heal.

"Do you blame Kankuro?" Kiba hated to ask, but he knew he had to in order to get Hinata to realize how much she was hurting her husband by not talking to him. From the instant anger that entered the small woman's eyes, Kiba flinched, waiting for the painful smack that he was expecting, but it never came. Cracking open an eye, he saw that Hinata's hand was raised, but something in her eyes told him that she had rethought hitting him for asking such a question.

"I love him...I would never blame him..." Hinata replied as her hand lowered back down, sliding it around Kiba's torso and it came to rest on his back as she embraced him, her head resting on his shoulder. Since Kankuro had came into her life, Hinata had not needed to hold Kiba like this, but the old feeling of immediate comfort came to her as though they always were like this. Sighing deeply, Hinata let her fingers trace small circles in Kiba's muscular back. His body and tone did not betray him, but she could sense that something was bothering him as well.

"I am to go back with you to Suna," Kiba finally admitted quietly. Hinata forced herself to keep rubbing his back without faltering. She had not expected Kiba to find out about his mission so soon, but she could not help but be both happy and saddened that he did. Gaara had wanted to leave as soon as Kiba knew about his mission, which meant they a few hours before the Kazekage would storm off to Suna (still slightly pissed that his brother had not allowed him to be the best man at his wedding). Despite his anger directed towards Kankuro, Gaara had agreed to their decision in bringing Kiba with them, though Hinata had a feeling it was because he knew that she would need someone in those first few months in a new, strange home. As soon as he said he would allow Kiba to be a diplomat, Hinata had surprised him with a hug that no one had seen coming. If they had, someone probably would have told her that he really didn't like affectionate embraces unless they came from Neji, but at the moment, Gaara didn't seem to mind as he hesitantly returned the gesture. Hinata had a feeling that that small hug had gotten Gaara to forgive her for eloping considering he gave up his room, the largest and most comfortable one in the apartment, for her to sleep in the past few hours, but his anger against his brother still remained.

"I'm glad..." Hinata whispered as she gently hugged the teen's middle. "Do you think Akamaru will be able to stand the heat?" The fact that her voice held concern for the dog got Kiba to chuckle slightly. Only Hinata could possibly worry about others when her own life was in such shambles. Then again, her and the nin-dog's relationship was almost as close as Akamaru's and Kiba's.

"He'll be fine...my family might be a little mad, though. They were hoping to marry me off...guess they'll have to wait a few months," Kiba replied with a chuckle. A small part of the brunet could not help but feel happy over that fact. A few months would give him more than enough time to sort out his feelings and make a final decision over what he would do concerning his family and Naruto.

"Your father finally found someone?" Hinata asked softly as she raised an eyebrow curiously. If her father was anal, Kiba's father was downright nit-picky. The man had yet to find someone who was worthy of his only son and heir, but, then again, the Inuzuka patriarch was becoming desperate since he had not found anyone who met up to his expectations in the past few years. He had once told Hinata that she would be the only person he would ever think good enough for his son, but they had both laughed such a preposterous idea away immediately. He knew just as well as everyone else that Hinata and Kiba were the closest of friends and there was no way their relationship would ever become something more than that. Kiba was the brother she never had and, to Kiba, Hinata was the younger sister he had always wanted.

Kiba hesitated a moment, wondering if it was safe to mention his strange engagement to the girl's sister. Deciding it was better to tell Hinata later, when she came to grips with being disowned, Kiba forced out a chuckle that, to his sensitive ears, sounded very fake. "Not yet, but I'm getting the feeling the next girl he finds is going to be good enough...if she's still breathing, even better..." That got a soft giggle out of the young woman, despite the wet sheen of tears that still marked her face and that sound made Kiba's heart sink. He rarely lied and, when he did, he felt horrible for it. To lie to his closest friend felt like he was betraying her and himself in the same breath.

"Remember when he considered TenTen and Ino?" she asked, her voice slowly returning to the tone Kiba had become accustomed to over the years. Though he would not call it confident, her voice was stronger, more certain, when around him than anyone else, with the only exception being Kankuro.

Shivering in memory of how both girls had been asked over to the house. Kiba had never thought it possible, but both girls' parents were even scarier than their children. His father had quickly abandoned that idea as soon as the families left and he was free to say 'crazy people', though he still said it under his breath as though he was afraid they would somehow be able to hear him. Those parents were the first people, other than Hiashi, who struck fear into the hearts of even the fiercest of the Inuzuka canines. "That was horrible."

"But not as bad as when your father started asking Kurenai-sensei whether or not she was married," Hinata pointed out. That memory made Kiba's face turn a pale shade of pink as he recalled the mortification he felt when, upon the first meeting between his insane father and his genin teacher, that question was the first thing out of his father's mouth. It was quickly followed by a long list of Kiba's attributes as though he was being sold at an auction.

Letting out a soft chuckle at the image of Kurenai's horrified expression, Kiba nodded his head in agreement. Nothing topped having his sensei, who was older than his sister, being a possible bride. As soon as his father had wormed an answer out of Kurenai concerning her marital status – which happened to be "I'm involved with someone" - the old man had dismissed her, claiming that his son would marry a virgin or no one at all. That requirement had quickly been dropped when his father realized how rare a trait a woman's innocence was. That fact only made his father shake his head and wonder what the world was coming to.

"He should have known better than to ask..." Kiba mumbled, wishing his father had learned some kind of manners in all of his years as a shinobi. Of course, decorum was far from being one of the top requirements in shinobi, much less that Inuzuka clan, who everyone thought to be part animal anyways.

"It still was funny," Hinata commented as she pulled away from the Inuzuka in order to look up into his face. "Thank you, Kiba," she said softly as she smiled at him. No one could make her forget about the things bothering her most like the Inuzuka heir. Even now, thinking about how her family had deserted her, the pain was less than it was earlier. Something about the brunet made her feel like everything would turn out for the best and, given time, her family would forgive her.

"Anytime, Hinata." Kiba gave the teen in his arms a toothy smirk that, if Hinata had to describe it, she would have called it wolfish, though Kiba always got annoyed quickly with the animal-like descriptions in reference to his physical appearance. He had once told her that he was quite aware that he had slitted eyes and sharpened teeth, but that did not make him any less human. As she studied him with hooded eyes, Hinata had to agree with that statement. In the most important ways, he was just as human as she was, but his presence made everyone think otherwise. He could hear, smell, and see things no one else could possibly imagine and at the drop of a pin his attention could shift to something no one else could even perceive, whether or not it was something to worry about.

Even the very feel of his body was not fully human. All it took was one touch to realize he was different than everyone else. His body was always tense, his large and powerful muscles revealing that he was ready to pounce on any threat with or without warning. Since they were young, Hinata had always been fascinated at how Kiba's natural body temperature ran several degrees higher than her own, making it feel like the teen was running a constant fever. His heart, too, revealed his uniqueness; it beat faster than most people's and his blood pressure far too high for a normal human's. If someone had somehow not realized his lineage, they would consider his heart to be racing and might even start worrying over how much longer he had until he had a heart attack. Those reasons had caused the hospital quite enough grief when an Inuzuka was brought in and their name not known. One such instance, a medic-nin gave the shinobi medication in attempts to reduce the 'stress' that was believed to be on their heart and resulted in the Inuzuka bleeding out and dying. If he had not been given medication, he would have been fully healed from his concussion in a matter of days.

Since then, the Inuzuka clan made a point of making sure the medical community was familiar with all their family members and, in the chance someone was not recognized, each family member wore a set of tags around their neck that denoted their lineage. A number of other families wore similar tags, in case they had unique traits that needed special care. Hinata even had a set that she usually had wrapped around her wrist or waist, which proved her status as a Hyuuga and, as such, extreme care had to be taken with any head or eye injury or damage taken to her chakra pathways.

"When are we leaving?" Kiba asked after a few minutes of silence in which he gently rubbed the girl's back. He knew that anyone who did not know them would have been stunned that he could be so gentle, despite his muscular frame. When he had finally started growing into the powerful physique his family was known for, Kiba had been slightly afraid he would not know his own strength and hurt Hinata one day. He was surprised, however, to discover he instinctively knew how to control himself when around her and almost everyone else. The only person he had found he had problems with his self-control was Naruto – though those control issues were of a different nature entirely.

"When can you be packed and ready?" Hinata answered as she pulled back in order to look at the Inuzuka in the eye. Kiba did not need more than a moment to think about her question. He knew that, if he told his family about his mission, he would not be able to leave for several days. The clan would feel the need to have a celebration to mark his first solo mission – not to mention his first diplomatic one! Then there would be all the time it would take to say his farewells to his large family.

"An hour..." Kiba said softly, already deciding that, if he moved quickly, his family might not realize he was no longer in the village until later tonight. At first, they would feel betrayed and angry at him, but it would not take them long to realize why he had left as he did. The clan was very well aware how everything was a long project if it involved them, especially if expediency was a necessity. From his expression, Hinata could guess what he was planning on doing in order to save himself the trouble of saying goodbye to his family. She would have probably felt sorry for his parents, but she had seen first hand what Kiba's family was capable of. She and the rest of their genin team had to wait two days before Kiba's family let him go so they could go on their first mission to the other side of the village to clean out a storeroom. She could only imagine what they would plan on a momentous occasion like this.

"Then you better go pack," Hinata commented as she slid off Kiba's lap, shivering slightly as she lost the almost uncomfortable warmth of his body around hers. It felt almost as though the temperature of the room dropped, but she knew better as she wrapped her arms around herself in hopes of getting some of that heat back.

"Do you want me to get you anything from home?" Kiba asked as he stood up next to Hinata, towering over her small frame. She smiled at his consideration, but shook her head. She could get clothes and other necessities in Suna – not to mention the things she got there would be more practical for the desert heat than anything she had at home. Kiba nodded his head, but ignored the girl's words, already planning on sneaking into the Hyuuga home in order to get some of Hinata's favorite things. He knew her well enough to know she would need some of the pictures that rested on her nightstand, as well as a few books, her favorite teddy bear, and several other items that held great importance for the girl. "I'll be back soon," he promised before quickly squeezing the girl in a quick farewell.

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Kiba slipped into his bedroom, letting out a sigh of relief when he finally closed the door behind himself. He had only run into his mother on his way up the stairs, but she had quickly let him go, believing him when he said he was going out with Shino for the afternoon. He hated to lie to his mother (even more than lying to Hinata) and use one of his best friends as a cover in the same breath, but there was no other way he could get past the woman without letting his mission slip out. Sometimes he thought his mother was psychic because of how perceptive she was. In the few seconds she saw him, she could only figure out that he was not going to be home for dinner.

_What happened to you?_ Kiba nearly squeaked, not expecting Akamaru to be in the room, let alone bark loud enough to reveal his position to the rest of his family. Quickly raising a finger to his lips in order to quiet the dog, Kiba raised an eyebrow that told the white canine that they were doing something secretive. For a moment, Akamaru felt a shiver of delicious deviousness run through him – it had been far too long since they played a trick on someone other than each other. But from the frantic way Kiba started racing around his room, throwing clothes and weapons on his bed, Akamaru quickly realized that this was not a normal prank.

Kiba threw the dog the scroll Iruka had given him only a short while ago. Akamaru had taught himself how to read, despite the long-held belief that the Inuzuka canines could never learn such an ability. After the puppy read a short children's story to the entire clan at Kiba's fifth birthday party, everyone was stunned into silence for a moment before all chaos erupted as everyone demanded that the small dog tell them how he was able to accomplish such a feat. They were amazed to no ends to hear that Akamaru had just put his mind to it and, through sheer determination, had been able to learn. Even Kiba had not known Akamaru was using his books to teach himself even as Kiba was learning how to read and write, but he had to admit that it had been the best birthday present. He finally had someone to learn with.

As Akamaru scanned over the scroll's characters, his eyes widened. Glancing up at Kiba, who had pulled a backpack out of his closet and had already started throwing his clothes and such into it, the dog let out a soft whine. The mission did not sound right to Akamaru, but he knew better than to tell Kiba that something smelled fishy. It was an honor for Kiba to be asked and, even if Kiba had the same reservations, he could not possibly refuse such a mission without offending two village leaders as well as his best friend.

The dog quickly bit back his questions as he moved to help Kiba pack before his family realized what was going on. He and his master were so preoccupied with their task that neither realized that someone had entered the room until they heard that someone softly clear her throat. Kiba spun around in the middle of trying to force a pair of sandals into his overstuffed bag and inwardly cursed when he saw his sister glancing over the scroll Akamaru had thrown on the floor before helping Kiba.

"Suna, huh?" she asked as she finally looked up from the mission. Raising an eyebrow at the fear she saw in her little brother's eyes, Hana let out a chuckle that quickly told Kiba that she had no intention of betraying his fleeing to the family before he was safely away from the village. Without saying a word, he thanked her before he went back to trying to zip his backpack shut. "Hinata needs you..." she added, receiving a brief nod from the teen. She knew better than to ask any further questions, in case someone was within hearing distance. Taking several steps, she reached her brother and enveloped him in a hug. Even though he was quite a bit younger than her, he already stood a head taller than her and Hana had to stretch in order to wrap her arms around his muscular torso. Kiba returned the embrace, resting his head on hers, as he tried to recall the last time they had hugged like this. He and Hana had never been particularly close siblings, partially due to the difference in their ages, but she had always comforted him and protected him when he was little. The opportunities to do so had diminished greatly as he grew up, but she had always been there for him when he needed her.

"Thanks, Hana," Kiba whispered into her hair, somewhat glad his sister had found him before he had left. If he would miss any relative while on his mission, it would be his crazy sister. Though they were like oil and water, she was the only person he would consider as a friend as well as family.

"No problem...just know you better bring everyone back souvenirs," she replied with a chuckle as she heard her little brother curse quietly. He knew just as well as she did that her girlfriend had a fascination with all things from Suna – especially their thin, expensive, but beautifully colored robes. If Kiba came back without a present for Mimi, he and Hana both knew that his life would be hell as long until he did get the young woman something. Mimi, once the family finally adopted her as one of their own, had quickly become a favorite and, as the whole family had shown time and again, if one Inuzuka wasn't happy, no Inuzuka was.

"Arf!" _We have to go!_ Akamaru pointed out softly, but with urgency in his tone, as he dragged Kiba's stuffed backpack over to the teen and placed it at his feet. With one look to his sister as he pulled away from her, Kiba nodded in agreement to the dog's observation. He bent down and gave his sister a peck on the cheek before silently slipping out the room, Akamaru following at his heels.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Hana took a deep breath and counted towards ten. Before she even reached seven, she both smelled and heard her father step into the room. She let up a soft prayer of thanks that Akamaru was more perceptive than most Inuzuka canines or else he and Kiba would have been caught in the room. She turned around and gave the older man a smirk that told the patriarch that his son had already left the room.

"Where is he, Hana?" he asked softly as he took a step into the room, glancing around and seeing the open drawers and clothing flung around in haste. He had smelled something strange as soon as he sensed his son return, which had caused him to make the trek across the house to seek out his younger child. What he hadn't expected was to see the boy's rooms in shambles and his sister standing there with a scroll in her hand. With one glance at the sheet of paper, he caught a glimpse of the blue ribbon and felt a surge of pride. "We have to start planning..." he added as he started deciding on which of Kiba's favorite foods should be served at the celebration. He stopped abruptly, however, when he saw his daughter shook her head.

"He's gone already, Papa..." she replied as she handed over the scroll. "He didn't want you and Mother making a big deal out of it, like you usually do." She heard her father suck in a shallow breath as his eyes ran over several characters in particular several times.

"Suna...for four months..." he said quietly his hands tightening into fists, not caring that he was destroying the paper he was still holding. He was not angry at his son for the deception – he would have done the same thing if he had been in his son's position – but he was mad at the Hokage for not asking him if such a mission was appropriate for his sole heir. She should know by now that Kiba was very important to his family and any decision that dealt with him was one the entire clan had to make.

"Papa...Hinata needed him..." Hana pointed out as she took a step forwards and gingerly removed the abused scroll from her father's hands. "You can't blame Tsunade-sama for wanting to help her..."

The mention of the Hyuuga melted his heart immediately. She, much like Mimi, was an adopted daughter to him and, as such, he would protect her from harm in any way possible. He could not imagine what it would feel like being uprooted from her home and being moved to a whole new village. He would certainly do anything to keep Hinata from feeling homesick and if that meant giving up his son for a few months, he could deal with it and not hold it against the Hokage. "What am I going to tell Hiashi?" he asked softly as he looked up at his tall daughter, who gave him a curious glance. "We were starting to plan Kiba and Hanabi's engagement party...we were busy making arrangements at this flower shop all this morning..."

"...Hiashi wasn't home this morning?" Hana had heard the rumors concerning the way Hinata had been treated when she returned home this morning, which made her immediately curious to hear how Hiashi took her visit. She had the sinking feeling, however, that Hiashi did not even know his daughter had returned home.

"No...apparently his wife kicked him out for the day because he had tried to order his family to consider Hinata disowned until he had a chance to speak to her...he was not happy, but he sounded like he was starting to get used to the idea of having a son-in-law..." he replied with a chuckle. A ruffled and slightly embarrassed Hiashi was, by far, one of the best sights he had ever seen. "Why?"

"Hinata went home this morning...apparently no one in the family would speak to her, so she left with the Kazekage..." Hana replied, lying to her father only in verb tense. If her father believed the Kazekage, and along with him Kiba, was already gone, he would not go off in search of them. Whatever time Hana could buy her brother would put distance between him and their crazy family.

"WHAA?!" The surprise, combined with a painful understanding, Hana heard in her father's loud voice made her ears ring. "Hinata could not possibly think the Hyuuga family would stay angry at her...most of the family was out getting wedding presents today, despite Hiashi's order. The only people that were still home were..." As realization dawned on him, he winced and let out a curse that made his daughter blush. "...those old pricks that have the same stick up their asses as Hiashi..."

For a moment, Hana wondered if she should tell her father that there might be a good chance Kiba and the others were still in the village, but quickly dismissed such a thought. It would be better to give Hiashi a few months to cool off and be chastised by everyone for his actions before giving him a chance to talk to his daughter. Perhaps in four months, Hiashi would beg for his daughter's forgiveness like he should. Having met Hiashi's small, yet amazingly influential, wife once, she could only wince for the man as she imagined what the next few months would be like for him. If anything, Hiashi might even make the trip to Suna in order to speak to his daughter.

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Neji raised an eyebrow as his Byakugan caught a glimpse of a certain Inuzuka sneaking through the courtyard, somehow unaware that he just raced by the Branch Family member. Whatever was on the teen's mind must have been important if he didn't realize Neji was sitting right there, training with his Byakugan.

Following the younger teen, Neji slipped into Hinata's room only a few steps behind Kiba and, as soon as he saw the teen was headed towards Hinata's closet, he let out an audible sigh. "I hope you have a good reason for not using the front door," Neji commented as he leaned against the door frame, his eyes on Kiba's tensing shoulders. The teen, turning to look at him, raised an eyebrow before quickly going back to digging through Hinata's closet for something.

"I sent Akamaru ahead of me to tell everyone to leave...I'll be able to meet up with them before the Suna border," Kiba replied so quietly his voice was more of a release of air than sound. Neji raised an eyebrow at the confusing statement, wondering what the hell Kiba was talking about. When he saw the Inuzuka pull one of Hinata's only tank tops out of her closet, he started understanding what Kiba was going on about.

"She's leaving?" Neji asked as he pushed off the door frame and took several steps into the room. "Why?" Instead of answering immediately, Kiba started rifling through Hinata's closet, finally coming away victorious with the girl's favorite kimono, a birthday present from Kankuro two years ago. Though everyone raised an eyebrow at the thin, flimsy materials that could never be worn in Konoha without several thick layers beneath it, Kankuro had quietly explained that it was made for Suna's weather and Hinata would be anything but cold in it while in the desert. When Hinata had opened the brightly wrapped box, Neji had been able to recognize the pattern as the Sabaku family crest, having seen Kankuro wear similar colors when in diplomatic meetings with Tsunade. No one else in the family had any idea, except for perhaps Hinata herself, so when Kankuro went down on bent knee in front of the entire village a week later, it came as a surprise to the whole Hyuuga clan except for the two teens. Since then, Neji had found himself in possession with a similarly patterned kimono, though its material fit for wear in Konoha. He was not sure if Gaara knew he was well aware of what the design signified, but if not, he was not ready to tell the Kazekage, curious to see how Gaara defined their relationship. The young redhead never once said anything about love or a future together, but the way he looked at Neji sometimes told another story entirely.

"Your family is a bunch of idiots, that's why," Kiba replied, pulling Neji out of his reverie. The older teen raised an eyebrow at Kiba's comment. "She came home this morning and apparently your uncle was his usual dick self and refused to even see her..."

"Shimatta..." Neji let out several curses that Kiba had never known Neji was aware of. He had a feeling, however, that Gaara must have been the one to teach them to Neji, considering their sexual nature. "Only the family members who agree with Hiashi were home today...my uncle was not even home – he was out with your father all day...the rest of us were out shopping...." In order to prove his point, Neji slipped a hand into the pouch at his side and pulled out a small, neatly wrapped box. He had refused to leave the box in his room, unsure when he would see Hinata and Kankuro. "My aunt apparently was the only person who had thought ahead and got wedding presents..."

"What is it?" Kiba asked, unable to comment on how badly timed Hinata's visit home had been, though it was through no fault of the girl or her husband. He stepped forwards and watched as Neji placed the small box into the pack he had been trying to neatly place Hinata's kimono in.

"Our family has a tradition of making matching wedding rings that have both bride and groom's crests worked into them," Neji replied softly. "Hinata and Kankuro had gone to the jewelers' only last week to start ordering their rings...I had to guess a bit on their sizes and the jeweler only had a vague idea of what they wanted their rings to look like, so they might not be perfect, but..." Neji trailed off, wondering if Kankuro would like the gift – he was quite sure Hinata would find them perfect, no matter how many threats of torture and almost certain death Neji had to use to get the rings completed in several hours when they should have taken weeks. He would never tell his cousin how much the present had cost him or hold it against her, but his now empty bank account and one very content jeweler would be long lasting results of his romantic sentiments.

"Shit...I didn't get them a present..." Kiba mumbled as he knelt down in order to pack clothes around the small box so that it wouldn't be jostled by the running he would be doing in a few minutes. He let out a deep sigh as he hoped his line of credit would stretch to Suna. Quickly digging a piece of paper out of his pocket and writing a hurried note on it, he handed it over to Neji before standing back up and going to wrap up Hinata's picture frames and placing them in the pack.

"What is this for?" Neji asked as his eyes ran over the piece of paper which, in Kiba's distinct chicken scratch, said Neji was able to touch his savings account. He could not help but inwardly chuckle, wondering if Kiba thought he could possibly repay Neji for the rings or, at the very least, pay for a part of them.

"If I need money in Suna, could you have them send it to me?" Kiba asked as he glanced up from wrapping a picture of his genin team. "And if you need anything in the next few months while you're trying to salvage your savings, you're more than welcome to take out as much as you want," Kiba added, his tone not holding the joking tone Neji would have expected. He had recognized the paper on the box, knowing immediately that the rings had come from the most exclusive (and expensive) jeweler in Konohagure. He could only begin to imagine how much it had cost Neji to get custom-made rings in such a short period of time.

Neji glanced over the paper again, his eyes noticing a large number written along the side of the note. For a moment, he wondered what the staggering number could signify – Kiba's account number, perhaps? He lost all coherent thought when Kiba mumbled something as he closed the pack and swung it over his back. "That should be a good estimate of how much is in my account...could you send about half of it to Suna if I need it?"

"Ha...ha..." Neji couldn't get 'half' out of his mouth as his eyes shifted from the teen to the number, then back again as he tried to come to grips with the shabbily dressed teen's funds. With such an amount, Kiba should have been dressing himself in gold and diamonds, not his current outfit, which revealed his passable sewing abilities. The knees of his baggy pants looked like they had to have been replaced several times and were due for another breath of life if Kiba wanted to save them from a rag pile. Then again, Kiba was so careless with his wardrobe and grew so quickly, it was no wonder his clothes took such a beating. A part of Neji, however, could not help but point out that, with that kind of money, Kiba could wear brand new clothes every day and dispose of them afterwards and still have enough left over to afford Hinata and Kankuro's wedding rings and then some. "Where did you get all of this?" Neji was finally able to mouth, his voice still refusing to work, as he studied Kiba.

"Some businesses I own...publishing companies...things like that," Kiba replied as though it was nothing and Neji saw the teen in a new light. At Kiba's uncaring behavior towards such an amount money, Neji tried recalling where Kiba could spend such sums and could only think of several anonymous donations of ridiculous sums over the years that had saved a number of businesses. Those miraculous gifts had come at the perfect time – when a family was planning on redoing their small store or if a fire destroyed part of another shop. There always seemed to be a someone or some business claiming that they had found money on their doorstep, in their shops, or – on a few occasions – placed right into their accounts. Everyone who had discovered such sums claimed that these gifts had been what saved them and that whoever was responsible had to be a saint. Looking at Kiba, in his shabby jacket that had seen far better days, Neji knew that he would never have thought to describe the teen as a saint. Kiba was rude, mocking, and otherwise annoying, but he was never purposely mean to anyone other than Neji. Having gotten to know the Inuzuka in the past few years, Neji knew that Kiba's attentions towards him only revealed that the teen saw him as a good friend. Thinking back on the last several years, Neji could not think of a time Kiba ever did something spiteful or hurtful unless it was in making fun of the Hyuuga Branch Family member and, even then, it wasn't particularly painful tricks he played. Having seen how Kiba acted around Hinata, Neji knew that the teen was more than capable of being kind and sensitive when he wanted or needed to be. Looking at the teen again, Neji could now see definitely Kiba as some sort of charity junkie, but perhaps 'saint' was still taking it too far.

Closing his eyes, Neji took a deep breath as he tried to fit this new knowledge about Kiba into his image of the Inuzuka teen. By the time he opened his eyes again, focusing his gaze at the empty space where Kiba had stood only a moment ago, Neji smirked. Even when in a rush, Kiba _would_ try to show off his 'superior' shinobi abilities by sneaking out without the Hyuuga noticing. What Kiba did not realize – and Neji had no urge to reveal it to the teen – was that Neji could effortlessly sense his chakra, much like he could for Hinata. Years ago, when he had started realizing that ability, Neji had passed it up to the fact that the two were attached at the hip, so he became accustomed to Kiba's chakra signature, but as Kiba grew up, Neji became more in tune with that unique power. It was almost as though something in Kiba was always calling out to the young jounin. Having heard about the Inuzuka clan's famous instincts, Neji could not help but wonder if Kiba's body – or, to be more specific, his instincts – were doing this on their own for some reason. If so, Neji hoped that there would never be an occasion to use this connection, since the only reason he could think of it being necessary would to find Kiba in such a hurry would be an injury that needed immediate medical attention. He did not even toy with the other idea that was also a possibility, not wanting to think that such an event could occur – the only other reason such speed would be needed would be if Kiba or someone he was with was dying.

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"There is something catching up to us," Gaara commented quietly to himself as he effortlessly picked up his already fast pace. He had sensed someone following them a few miles back, but he had thought it would be impossible for anyone to keep up with their ground-eating speed for a long distance. His siblings had grown used to this type of running, but Hinata had already proved to need more time to become accustomed with his speed. She was currently riding on Kankuro's back, her small frame almost weightless in comparison to the large packs Kankuro was used to wearing. As soon as Hinata had first faltered, Gaara and his brother had wordlessly decided on what to do. Taking his brother's pack, Gaara had pushed ahead, though slowing down slightly, while Kankuro swept his new wife up into his arms, laughing as she squealed to be put down.

That had been a while ago, however. Whatever was following them had started doing so soon after Kankuro started carrying Hinata, but instead of falling behind, it was somehow catching up at an alarming pace. Gaara was unsure what to call this approaching figure, though he thought 'it' to be quite befitting, since there was no way it could be an ordinary human. Weighing his choices, the Kazekage skidded to a stop on the forest floor, watching as the rest of his party flew by overhead, not yet registering that he was no longer leading them. He had a feeling that it would be some time before they did anyhow, since everyone knew the way well enough that they paid very little attention on the entire trip to or from Konoha.

Narrowing his eyes, Gaara watched as a blur of color darted through several trees around him before landing heavily on the ground mere feet in front of the redhead. Frowning at the dark figure as it stood up straight with its back to him, towering over him by quite a bit, the teen wondered why he had to be so short in comparison to everyone else. As soon as the person – which Gaara could now see it actually was, though from its primal aura, he knew it to be far from average – started to turn around, the redhead found himself lost for words.

"Kazekage-sama..." Kiba stated with a chuckle, his voice indicating that he had not even started to get out of breath from his attempts to run down the Sand shinobi before they reached the Konoha border. He had been quite surprised at how quickly the group was able to move, but he had trained with Akamaru in games of catch long enough to discover he could move with an enviable speed. That speed, however, only seemed to present itself when he was tracking or otherwise following something. Without another thought, he passed it up to another one of his family's numerous abilities.

"You are very fast..." Gaara commented softly, a tone of awe and even respect in his voice as he eyed the older teen, but saw no indication of fatigue in the Inuzuka. The demon within him growled with jealousy, but Gaara ignored that side of himself as he watched Kiba shift the pack on his back. "You have been given your mission, I take it?" The questioned seemed silly as soon as Gaara asked it – he had been traveling with the boy's massive dog for the past hour; he had known that Kiba would be catching up with them at some point. Gaara had actually forgotten about the teen entirely and therefore never thought to consider the idea that Kiba could have been the person following them because he did not expect the teen to be able to catch up with them at all. He thought that he would not see Kiba for at least several days, in which time he would have a chance to make up rooms for his new diplomat.

"I have..." Kiba replied as he nodded his head. Gesturing that he was willing to continue moving, the two teens picked up Gaara's fast pace and quickly covered the ground they had lost in their few moments of discussion. In a matter of minutes, they were able to catch up with the rest of Gaara's party, who stared at the new addition in amazement. The only ones who did not look dumbstruck were the large canine and the small woman in her new husband's arms. Akamaru gave his master a flash of his pointed teeth, clearly an expression akin to a human's chuckle. Hinata smiled at her best friend, seeing how comfortable Kiba looked in the company of the Suna teens. She could only hope that, in Suna, Kiba would find whatever those animal-like eyes of his were obviously searching for.

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Authoress: I am so sorry for not updating earlier...with college and everything, I've been insanely busy, but now that I am home for the summer, I'll be updating as often as possible! I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and how the story is progressing!! And don't forget to review so I know what to focus on next time!!!


	12. Chapter Eleven

Authoress: Okay, first I would like to apologize to everyone for last chapter…I was in such a rush to get a new chapter out, after that insanely long wait, that I did not even realize that I had not put in any parts with Naruto!!! //cries// So, to make up for it, I will ignore the rest of my ongoing stories for a while and write a whole chapter about our favorite blonde!!!

Disclaimer: If only…

**Chapter Eleven**

Naruto took a deep breath as he stretched back, raising his arms up over his head while tilting his head back to stare up at the sky. For once, it was overcast. Despite what everyone inferred from his façade, Naruto did not prefer those almost impossibly sunny days. He would much rather sit under the partial covering of a tree while it rained. A downpour during a cool afternoon was, by far, much better than a picture-perfect day. Naruto enjoyed the feel of the damp ground beneath him, the sound of the water droplets hitting the grass, but most of all, Naruto loved the smell that filled his nose during such times. The scent of the wet grass and mud and the aroma of fresh water surrounding him gave Naruto the feeling of cleansing and revival – no matter how dirty, tired, and otherwise horrid he felt, all it took was a good storm to wash all of that away. Naruto felt the barest of smirks come to his face as he decided that, if he had a choice, he would prefer to die in the midst of a rainstorm.

**Could you be any more depressing? **The Kyuubi asked with annoyance. Naruto chuckled as he closed his eyes and imagined the large kitsune laying down in her cage, her large head resting on crossed arms. Though she never made any mention of his usual depressing mindset, she hated whenever his thoughts turned towards his own demise. Naruto always passed it up to the fact that, with his death, she probably would die too. He never worked up the courage to ask her what would happen to her when he died – would her spirit leave his body, dying if she was not bound to someone else or would she still exist in this world, haunting Konohagure in a spirit form or could she recreate a body or possess another one? A part of Naruto hoped that she would die when he did – that way, he wouldn't have to go alone.

_Probably,_ Naruto replied with a smirk. Without another thought, the teen sat down at the demon's side, curling up in her soft, warm fur. Resting his head against her side, Naruto let out a sigh. _Do you think I should tell Iruka about Ero-sennin?_

**That Jiraiya is your grandfather?**__The Kyuubi clarified as she tilted her head in thought. Though the knowledge of the Sannin's relationship to Naruto came as a bit of a surprise, she could only look back now and see how much sense it made. She had always thought her container and the man had a great deal in common, both in personality and features. Sometimes, when the blonde was not paying attention, she caught the man's expression and could not help but see the similarities in Naruto's face.

_I don't want Iruka to think that he's less important to me._ Naruto did not have to state that he saw the brunet as family, despite the fact they shared no blood. The Kyuubi nodded her head, understanding that Naruto's relationship with the chuunin was somewhere between father and son and brothers. She would not want to change that closeness between the two for anything. Sometimes she wondered how Naruto would have turned out if Iruka had not been there for him since infancy. Would he have been able to cope with the hatred of the village without the knowledge that at least one person cared for him? Would he have survived to his teen years without someone to make sure he ate, showered, and bandaged his wounds, both emotional and physical? Would he have been able to see good in people if it had not been for the kind man? The Kyuubi let up a silent prayer of thanks for the chuunin. She had a feeling that, without Iruka, Naruto would have been the cold-blooded monster people were afraid he would turn out to be. He probably would have been on the same level as Orochimaru. She knew that not even Gaara's mentality could compare to the evil that would have lived inside Naruto if Iruka had not taken care of him. Even the redhead had family that cared for him.

**Tell him that it doesn't change anything between you two,** the Kyuubi suggested as she observed her container. She made sure to hide her thoughts as she let her gaze travel down the teen. In the past few weeks, she had seen a change in the blonde. His mentality had changed slightly, brightening ever so little, as he renewed his relationship with Kiba and found out about his grandfather. At the same time, however, she saw the almost unperceivable changes in his features. He was losing weight, whether or not he himself noticed it yet. The weight was not the childish tubbiness that he used to have because of Iruka's good cooking. Now, it was the muscle that he had trained so hard for the past three years to attain. His face was slowly becoming strained because of the lack of sleep, along with the stress he was unaware of. She did not have the heart to tell him that his body could not keep up with him anymore. Taking a shaky breath that her container didn't catch, she thought back to those years when he used to sleep over half the day away. Back then, she thought he slept too much, but now she would give anything to have that problem back. By her calculations, Naruto had only slept six or seven hours in the past week.

Letting her eyes rest on the blonde's hands, the Kyuubi let out a sigh. Naruto was slowly rubbing his hands together, warming his cold fingers ever so slightly. The air around them was not colder than usual; if anything it was a little warmer than she was accustomed to. She also knew that his movements were almost unconscious, which scared her all the more. Naruto did not realize how his body was beginning to fail, despite all of the warning signs. The Kyuubi did not need a medical background to know that the boy's circulation was starting to feel the effects of his failing heart. Already, Naruto was starting to become sensitive to the smallest changes in the temperature, his limbs were slowly becoming tinted with alarming shades of purple, and feeling in his hands and feet was decreasing at a rapid pace.

_What's wrong?_ Naruto asked as he glanced over at the Kyuubi. She was being unusually quiet, which made him immediately suspicious. He had been noticing her observing him more and more of late, but he had always passed it up to her starting to realize he was growing up. That look of sadness in her eyes, however, destroyed that line of thought.

**Nothing, kit,**__she lied as she wrapped one tail around his cold body, hoping to keep him warmer. If she could keep him from realizing how much he was changing, perhaps it would be enough to save him. The knowledge of his impending death would certainly strain his heart all the more and the Kyuubi knew that with each minute he stayed alive, the closer his grandmother got to discovering a way to save him. The Kyuubi did not have to see Tsunade to know that she was doing everything in her power to find a way to give the blonde a second chance at life. All the Kyuubi could do now was hope that the Hokage could find a way when not even the Nine Tailed Demon could.

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"Naruto!" The blonde nearly jumped when he heard his teammate's high-pitched voice next to him. He had somehow not even realized Sakura was anywhere nearby, let alone right beside him. Turning to look at the pink haired girl, he raised an eyebrow at her broad smile. It was not very often her smiles meant good news for him.

"Ohayo, Sakura-chan!" Naruto replied with faked happiness. He could not even begin to imagine what the annoying girl could possibly want, unless it was to aggravate him, which she was amazingly good at.

"Do you have anything planned today?" she asked with a sickeningly sweet tone, her eyes giving Naruto a pouting look. He inwardly twitched as he thought of possible reasons she would ask him such a thing. Before he even got a chance to respond, she continued, "I am doing a project with Tsunade-sama and I need a…subject…"

"Subject?" Naruto repeated hesitantly, his mind racing with frightening possibilities. Between Sakura and Tsunade, he could only imagine what they would need a 'subject' for. For some reason, he kept imagining a dark, dingy room with a table of pointy objects in the basement of the Hokage Tower where the walls were sound-proof.

"Hai…I'm studying the circulatory system and I was curious to see if your body works differently than everyone else's," Sakura lied flawlessly as she gave Naruto another smile. Tsunade had said to use any means necessary to perform a few simple tests on the teen. The most important tests were ones to determine how Naruto's body was being affected by his failing heart, along with ones to see if they could figure out what kind of defect was threatening his life. Any information on Naruto's condition would help them think of a way to save him.

"What would you have to do?" Naruto asked as he eyed his teammate suspiciously. He still had the image of pointy, unnamed objects in his head. Despite his better judgment, however, he already sentenced himself to a day under Sakura's scrutiny. For all of her annoying characteristics, he knew that she did care about him in her own way and, because of that, he would help her if he could.

"Nothing painful," Sakura said with a snort. She knew how Naruto's imagination sometimes ran away with him and she could only guess what he had already thought up of in order to give her such a look.

"No dungeons?" Naruto questioned, receiving a confused look from the pink haired girl. Satisfied that his teammate wasn't planning on torturing him, Naruto nodded his head. "You owe me ramen" was the only other thing Naruto stated as he followed Sakura down the street.

"No more than ten bowls," Sakura retorted good-naturedly, knowing that her teammate needed a limit or else he would clean her wallet out. Naruto huffed at the unfairness of her response, but knew better than to argue with Sakura when they were in such confined spaces. Since coming back to the village, he had felt her newfound strength more than once when sparring with her.

"Jeez, even Kiba pays for my whole dinner," Naruto replied with a pout. For a moment, the blonde recalled his evening with Kiba and couldn't help but wonder where the Inuzuka had run off to. Since then, he hadn't seen much of Kiba, which made him wonder if Kiba had rethought their relationship, if it could be called that. "Have you seen Kiba?"

"You didn't hear?" Sakura asked as she froze, turning to look at her teammate curiously. From the blank look she received, she knew Naruto did not hear to the village's newest bit of gossip. The most popular explanation was that Kiba was going to Suna not just as a diplomat, but also as a certain redhead's lover. Sakura had to bite back a laugh at the ridiculous idea of Kiba and Gaara being a couple. The only person she could ever imagine the quiet Kazekage with was Neji simply because the Hyuuga was the only person who had the courage and stubbornness to deal with Gaara. Looking over at Naruto, she smiled. Much like Neji and Gaara, she could easily see how Naruto and Kiba's personalities would compliment one another. "He was sent to Suna as a diplomat for the next few months. He left yesterday without saying goodbye to anyone. Gaara was in a mood and wanted to leave immediately."

Naruto chuckled as he nodded his head. He could see Gaara as an impatient person and how everyone would bend over backwards to accommodate the redhead Kazekage. For Kiba to leave without telling anyone – not even his family – must have meant Gaara was itching to get out of Konohagure. It probably had something to do with his brother's elopement. Naruto couldn't help but recall when he saw Hinata and Kankuro together. If he ever got the chance to have that kind of closeness, he certainly wouldn't let anyone get between him and that person.

"I'm sure he would have told you if he had time," Sakura added, ignoring Tsunade's demand that she not talk about Kiba or give Naruto the hope that they could ever have a relationship. She gave Naruto a knowing smirk that, to her surprise, made his tan cheeks turn a light shade of pink. "Ooh, I hit a nerve!" she squealed as she broke out into a smile.

Naruto felt his face warm up even more as he glanced over at Sakura. He studied her face, but found no malice in her expression, which surprised him. Usually people made fun of him to hurt him, but from the good humor in her eyes, Sakura meant no harm by her words. If anything, she was treating him just like she did other friends. That realization brought the slightest of smiles to his face. When they were first placed in a genin team together, those jabs and jokes were meant to hurt, but something changed her opinion of him enough for her to stop her hurtful mocking. Could three years without his constant presence really have changed her that much? "Did not," Naruto finally retorted as he stuck his nose up in the air with a pout, playing along with Sakura's game. She nudged him with her shoulder, gently enough that her insane strength only knocked him off balance and didn't throw him into a nearby building. Falling on his rear, Naruto glared up at his teammate until she reached down to help him back up as she apologized, but that smile remained on her lips.

Making sure to grab his wrist, Sakura pulled Naruto back up, mentally recording his pulse for future reference. She hated using sneaky methods to follow Tsunade's orders, but she did not want to reveal to Naruto that she was curious about how thoughts of Kiba affected him. If she could not see any changes in him when Naruto thought about Kiba, then she would tell Tsunade that sending Kiba away was unfair and he should be brought back. Even having read the letter Naruto's mother had written, Sakura couldn't see the point in sending Kiba to Suna. If anything, Sakura thought that Kiba's presence might help Naruto – Kiba could keep a close watch on the blonde so he could warn Tsunade if anything in Naruto's condition changed. He could keep Naruto happy while the Hokage searched for a way to save her grandson. The only reason Sakura could think that Kiba's presence in Konoha may speed up Naruto's heart failure would be if the two were intimate, which would certainly put a strain on Naruto's heart. The thought of Naruto and Kiba together made Sakura freeze mid-step as she turned to look at her teammate in a new light. Was it possible the two were already lovers? From the faint blush that still remained on Naruto's cheeks, she could tell he had feelings for the Inuzuka, but how far did those feelings go? "So, have you two…?" Sakura trailed off purposely as she gave Naruto a lecherous glance.

"No!" Naruto quickly replied, unable to meet the girl's gaze as he blushed with full force. The mere thought of being with Kiba gave Naruto all kinds of images that got the pervert in him to squeal with glee. The thought of Kiba without a stitch of clothing on was more than enough to send tremors down Naruto's body. He could clearly picture those well-defined muscles, which he had clearly seen underneath Kiba's sweat-soaked clothes that left nothing to the imagination. His body, by Naruto's imagination, was perfection. His broad shoulders and strong arms would be perfectly matched with a chest, back, and abdomen that would make a god envious. Naruto could easily picture Kiba's narrow hips, chiseled thighs, and a behind that could only be described as magnificent. His skin would be lightly tanned from years of being outdoors, but he would have only faint tan lines, since Naruto could easily imagine Kiba as laying out under the sun nude. His animal-like features would only make him more desirable – his narrow eyes would be filled with that primal desire Naruto had seen only once, his fangs revealed in a feral smirk, and his long claw-like nails reaching out to trail their way down Naruto. Shivering slightly as he imagined the deep, possessive sound that would come from Kiba's throat as he silently moved closer, Naruto forgot momentarily where he was and who he was with.

"Woah…" Sakura could not help but stare at Naruto with wide eyes as she tried imagining what he could possibly be thinking about to get such a delicious reaction out of him. She always thought Kiba was good looking, but apparently he was hiding something underneath his baggy, ragged clothes that only Naruto was aware of.

Hearing Sakura's voice, Naruto was shaken from his fantasy and, glancing around at the crowded streets, he flushed in embarrassment. Coughing nervously, he hoped no one could see how much his imagination had affected his lower body. From the perverted snicker he heard from his teammate, she certainly noticed – then again, perverts seemed to have an uncanny sense for this kind of thing. Somehow Jiraiya always knew whenever a lecherous thought went through Naruto's mind.

"So where did you want to do your tests?" Naruto asked in attempts to end the uncomfortable silence. Sakura, laughing in a way only a pervert can, gestured for Naruto to keep walking as she continued to observe her teammate with quick glances that she could only hope he did not notice and, if he did, that he did not know the kind of danger he was in or how little time he had left.

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Tsunade sat back in her chair, rubbing between her eyes in attempts to stave off the headache she always received after reading the finance reports. Since having given Sakura the duty to find out as much as possible about her grandson's condition, Tsunade had tried to tend to her duties as Hokage, but could not help but keep finding herself wondering how Sakura's attempts were going or what she discovered. Taking a deep breath, the Hokage instantly felt a change in the atmosphere. Recognizing her student's chakra, she leaned forwards as she propped her elbows up on the desk, awaiting the news Sakura would surely be bringing.

As the pink-haired kunoichi entered the office, Tsunade felt her hope fade. The few sheets of paper in her student's shaking hands did not look promising, but what truly stopped the Hokage's heart was the despair in Sakura's eyes as the young girl looked at her. Sympathy was clearly written across the girl's face, but she still somehow found the ability to speak as she walked further into the office.

"I'm so sorry, Tsunade-sama," Sakura whispered as she flopped down in the chair across from the blonde woman with exhaustion and despondence no one her age should ever feel.

"How long?" was the only question Tsunade could choke out as she watched her student through watery eyes. Sakura gave her a look that told Tsunade what she had feared since learning of her grandson's heart defect.

"He won't last the four months Iruka-sensei gave us…"

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Authoress: okay…I'll admit this chapter was short, but this was supposed to just make up for not mentioning Naruto at all last chapter…so I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter (and that you guys don't hate me too much for finally saying how much longer Naruto has left)…so, anyways, I want to thank everyone for reading and (hopefully) reviewing!!!! Until next time, ja ne!!


	13. Chapter Twelve

Authoress: Yosh, I'm back again with another chapter!!! Kukuku…

Disclaimer:…ahh, if only…

**Chapter Twelve**

Naruto let out a soft sigh as he leaned back into his stool, patting his full stomach before belching in satifaction. Sakura could only roll her eyes at his antics. Throughout their whole meal, she had to stop herself from wincing at every bite he took. Though ramen was far from the unhealthiest of foods, it could not possibly be helping Naruto's failing heart for him to be eating so much salt and neglecting more important food groups, such as fruits and vegetables.

"So, how's my circulatory system?" Naruto asked, catching his teammate off-guard. Sakura almost fell out of her stool in surprise, wondering how Naruto had figured out what she had really been using those tests for earlier. Did he know that his heart was weak and that he only had a few months left unless they could think of a way to save him? She stared at Naruto in horror, having never thought that she would have to talk to him about his own mortality. From the curious glance she got in response, Sakura quickly amended her first thoughts. "Compared to normal people…" Naruto added with a questioning tone, his eyebrows furrowing when he saw the relief wash across Sakura's features.

"Oh…fine…a little different…your heart beats faster and harder than normal hearts…kind of like the Inuzuka clan," Sakura rushed to say, deliriously relieved that Naruto had not been asking about his failing heart. Realizing that he had no clue what her tests were determining, she could only wonder if he even knew anything was wrong with him. Did he notice anything different? Taking a deep breath, Sakura found the courage to ask what Tsunade had strictly forbidden. "Have you been feeling strangely lately?"

"Eh? Strangely?" Naruto asked in curiosity, eyeing his teammate suspiciously. Her request had seemed unusual earlier today, but he had been quick to dismiss such thoughts when he realized she was just curious about his differences compared to most people. The way she spoke now, however, made him start wondering if her tests had another purpose. Did she somehow know that the Kyuubi was acting and looking strange lately? She seemed to be injured almost every time he saw her and her eyes, along with her sluggish body, told him that she was so tired, though he had no idea why or how she could become fatigued.

"Yeah…tired, feverish, cold…anything?" Sakura questioned, trying to get a better idea about how Naruto's condition was progressing. Tsunade had told her that his blood pressure and heart rate would be shockingly higher than a normal person's, that his temperature would also be high, and that his reflexes would be astonishingly quick and strong. She found none of those conditions, however, which had been cause for concern and Sakura's statement to the Hokage that Naruto did not have much longer left. His body already was being heavily affected by his weakening heart. His heart rate and blood pressure, if anything, were lower than those of a normal human. As for his temperature, it was within a normal range and his reflexes were slowed, almost nonexistent in his extremities. Those findings made Sakura wonder if Naruto was losing feeling and strength in his arms and legs and, if so, how serious was it? Those were questions that would not have come up if she had just been checking his circulatory system and even Naruto would have known that. For her to be asking such specific questions – and for her to be right about the small changes in his body – would certainly set off warning bells in Naruto's mind, but she couldn't help but ask him now. She had caught glimpses of him rubbing his hands and arms throughout her quick physical, but those actions could be due to something far less threatening than his weakening heart. She had seen, while he was eating, how he was having a problem not only holding his chopsticks steady, but manipulating them enough to be able to grab noodles from his bowl.

"I haven't slept that much in the past few nights…and a little cold and sick…I'm probably coming down with something," Naruto replied with a raised eyebrow. How could Sakura have known precisely how he was feeling? He had not even told the Kyuubi that he was starting to notice changes in himself that he knew were not common to growing up. He had never heard of someone getting a tingling feeling in their arms and legs that would only dissipate after rubbing them for some time or how he had started to wear an extra shirt underneath his jacket just so he did not start to shiver uncontrollably, despite the warm temperatures.

"Anything else?" Sakura asked, her eyes revealing her worry for Naruto. The boy could only stare at her, realizing she was not only asking out of her own curiosity being a medic-nin, but also because she was concerned as a friend. He could not help but wonder if he should tell Sakura about the worries he had not even voiced to the Kyuubi. Perhaps if he told a medic-nin, they could figure out what was wrong with him before his symptoms got worse. A side of the teen, however, had a problem with opening up so much to another person, especially someone like Sakura who used to mock him to no ends. He could only imagine that she would make fun of him if he told her about his concerns.

"No," Naruto lied easily, while at the same time feeling like he was doing himself a disservice. Even if Sakura dismissed his symptoms as nothing, she was someone knowledgeable enough to give him such a diagnosis. If it was only a stomach virus, she could tell him and assuage his fears that it was something far worse.

"Then it is probably just a virus. If you start feeling worse or don't get better in a few days, promise you'll tell me?" Sakura asked, her eyes studying her blonde teammate. She could tell Naruto was keeping the worst of his symptoms from her out of fear, but she would not push him if he was not ready to open up to her.

"Sure," Naruto again lied to her without a second thought. Even if he lost all feeling in his body, he was not sure he would tell Sakura. He doubted he would tell anyone, afraid that they would say it was nothing or, even worse, that they would look at him as Sakura was doing now – with concern, sorrow, but most of all pity. He had grown accustomed to the looks of hatred, but he could not stand others' pity. For so long, Naruto believed he could take care of himself, that he did not need anyone, but lately he had started realizing how much he depended on others. He could not imagine a life without Iruka's fatherly attention, the perverse smiles of Jiraiya, Kakashi's cryptic attempts at guidance, or the presence of those who called themselves his friends. What would it have been like to not know his rivalry with Sasuke, his constant fights with Sakura, or his awkward relationship with Kiba?

"Naruto…" Sakura said quietly, a tinge of worry coloring her otherwise saddened tone. "I know I haven't been the best of friends…but I'd like to start over…" She looked to her teammate, seeing the surprise in his eyes. "I used to hate you in the academy because you always were able to get Sasuke's attention…then in our genin team, you could do things I could only imagine doing…you have accomplished things I could never do and, no matter what, I respect you for that," Sakura ended in an almost inaudible whisper. How could she tell Naruto how the blonde idiot had wormed his way into her heart, as he had done to so many people, when he thought he was so alone? After speaking with Tsunade and the others the other night, she had come to realize how Naruto was, emotionally speaking, in shambles. He was far more unstable than anyone their age should be, so much so he could not realize how many people cared for him. He was suspicious of anyone showing him kindness, always worrying that it was some new plot to hurt him. Even now, she could see that same mindset hidden behind the eyes that she once would have described as sickeningly happy. Knowing better now, she could see the self-hatred, the depression, but most of all the fear. From that quick glance, Sakura knew that Naruto was finally starting to realize something was horribly wrong with him.

_What is happening to me?_ He demanded as he closed his eyes, picturing the Kyuubi as she lay down in her massive cage. The demon gave him a glance that Naruto could not even begin to describe. All he knew was that it made his entire body shiver slightly.

**Stop being a hypochondriac, gaki…**she replied, her voice sounding far more tired than Naruto had ever heard before. Before she got a chance to turn away, showing that she no longer wanted to talk to the boy, she caught his soft whisper and froze in response. She had no idea how to answer the small human who had become the only child she would ever have.

_Am I dying?_

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Kiba let out a deep sigh as he stretched across his bed. Since reaching Suna, he had not had a moment to relax between all the meetings he was obligated to attend as a diplomat. Exhausted, he could not even find the strength in him to take off his dirtied clothes that revealed the hard pace Gaara had set in racing back to Suna.

"Kiba?" Hearing his best friend's soft voice, the Inuzuka forced himself to roll over so that he could see her hanging on the edge of his door, uncertainty over whether or not to enter shining in her eyes.

"You don't have to ask to come in, Hinata," Kiba mumbled as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, his body screaming at the small movement. He had been used to training long hours with Akamaru, but he had never run so quickly for so long before. He was impressed with not only his own endurance, but also his stubbornness when that endurance finally ran out. He refused to slow down or stop in order to catch his breath; he did not want the Kazekage and his siblings viewing him as weak or unworthy of his new position. The last leg of the journey, Kiba had almost unconsciously burned all the chakra he could muster in order to keep up with Gaara and the others. He thanked whatever deity existed that he had the sense to begin attempting to create chakra reserves, despite all of Sakura and Hinata's warnings against it, because it was the only thing that kept him going. The two girls were sure that the stored chakra would affect his body differently than a normal person's due to his heritage. Hinata was positive it would affect his heart and chakra pathways, but not even the Hyuuga could tell him how much he would be harmed by excess chakra or how much energy it would take to cause him injury. All they were sure of was that not many shinobi had ever successfully created chakra reserves and those few that had were far above Kiba's current level.

Recalling how it felt as though his body was erupting in fire as he ran, Kiba could start understanding the girls' concerns. As soon as he stopped running, the pain and tightening within his body dissipated quickly, but Kiba was left with a dull ache that extended to the tips of his fingers and toes. Also, from the moment Kiba had begun using his last bit of chakra, his senses heightened far more than he had ever experienced. He could smell and taste things he never thought possible before, such as sunlight. If he had not done so himself, he would have thought anyone who said they could smell light was insane. He could hear better than he could ever imagine and, as if tasting sunlight was not enough, his sense of touch was opening all kinds of possibilities that he never imagined before. Even as Hinata walked towards him, he could feel the vibrations her movements caused in the empty air around them. He did not need any other sense than that of touch to know she was approaching him slowly. Kiba didn't want to worry Hinata and tell her what he had done or what was happening to him as a result – she had enough things to think about right now.

Glancing up at his best friend, he could see the questioning expression on her face. Having become so accustomed to the Hyuuga, it took him a few moments to realize her Byakugan was activated and, from the movement of her eyes as they seemed to devour his entire body, she was following his chakra pathways.

"What did you do?" Hinata asked quietly as she took a few more steps into the room, seeing how even Kiba's chakra reacted to her movements. Unlike the rigid, web-like pattern most people had running through their body, Kiba's body now resembled more of a watery substance in its fluidity. As she continued to walk towards him, the chakra that was molded perfectly to every inch of his body seemed to ripple in response to some unseen force.

"I didn't listen to you and Sakura…" Kiba responded jokingly as he shifted over on his bed, giving his old teammate enough room to sit down next to him. Smiling at the gesture, Hinata gracefully sat down on the oversized bed and, almost as soon as she felt the soft mattress beneath her, leaned into her teammate's shoulder.

"Chakra reserves?" she guessed, having sensed the surge of energy earlier when they were on their way to Suna. She was sure she was the only one who noticed besides Akamaru because of her close relationship with the Inuzuka teen. She had not said anything at the time, believing Kiba was not so stupid as to start burning chakra in order to keep up with everyone else's pace. Gaara and his siblings were accustomed to making the journey between Suna and Konoha in one day, whereas any other shinobi was forced to break up the trip over three days. Now looking at her teammate and how his body had reacted to the use of such a large amount of chakra at once, Hinata had to fight the urge to smack him for his stupidity. She had never before heard of someone's chakra pathways changing, especially to the point she was no longer sure she could call the massive amount of blue energy surrounding her teammate a _pathway_. It was as though those small streams of chakra had overflowed, ruptured, flooded…no word could perfectly describe what Hinata was starting to realize had happened to Kiba. His body must not have been able to cope with so much energy being burned at once that those once clearly visible pathways were destroyed, coating his entire body in a thin layer of energy.

"I had only started working on them the past few days. I didn't realize what I was doing until we were arriving in Suna," Kiba replied sheepishly as he looked down at his hands, trying to imagine what Hinata was seeing for his teammate to be giving him such a glare. What he said was true; at the time, Kiba had thought he had just found a new breath of life as he was running, which he now knew to be the result of tapping into his chakra reserves. As he ran, however, he found that the rush he gained was positively addictive and, had they stopped earlier, Kiba was not sure he would have paused if it meant losing that high feeling.

"Baka," she softly mumbled as she let a hand rest on Kiba's shoulder, watching in fascination as the chakra beneath her hand rippled and pulsed as soon as she came in contact with him. "You might have irreversibly destroyed your chakra pathways…there was no need to push yourself so hard…or to store so much chakra at one time!"

Having rarely heard his best friend raise his voice as well as due to his heightened hearing, Kiba winced at her words. "That's the thing…I didn't store that much chakra…" Kiba finally admitted both to himself and Hinata as he looked into her eyes. From his best guesses, he only had enough chakra stored for one good burst of energy, not the amount he used in the marathon he had run. He had been cautious to only store a small amount because it was his first experiment, making sure that it was very well protected against any attack and that it would not be easy for even him to access. He might be stubborn when it came to listening to his friends' warnings, but he was not entirely stupid. He knew the dangers of a ruptured chakra reserve – it could, at the very least, kill him, but a large enough reserve had the potential of wiping out an area nearly the size of Konoha. Judging from the small amount he had stored, such an event would result only in injury for him because he could keep it contained before harming anyone else.

Kiba raised an eyebrow when he both saw and felt his teammate noticeably jump back, wrenching her gaze from his. He did not voice the questions that immediately started running through his mind – as soon as he could smell the fear on Hinata, he was hesitant to do anything other than wait for her to say something. When his teammate leapt from the bed in order to go pull a rounded mirror off of his nightstand, Kiba could only watch in curiosity. It was not until she took a hesitant step towards him, turning the mirror around so he could see his own reflection that Kiba began to understand Hinata's unusual actions.

"What the hell?" Kiba whispered as he leaned in towards the mirror, but seeing a closer image of him revealed the same realization. His features were subtly different – quite noticeable for Kiba and Hinata, but he doubted people less familiar with his appearance would have seen the changes. Bringing a hand up to his forehead, Kiba pushed back a few strands of hair so he could better see his eyes, which had changed the most out of all his facial features. Most people were unnerved when they saw that the Inuzuka clan had narrowed slits for pupils because they believed only demons were supposed to have such a feature, but what made Kiba now stare at his own image in horror was the reddened shade to his irises that he knew was wholly unique to demons. His eyes still held a bit of his natural brown shade, but the edges were rimmed with a shocking red. He had only seen such an eye color on one person before and, as he studied the rest of his face – from his unusually sharp canines to the harsher, more angular shape of his face – Kiba found himself recognizing the features of a blonde who plagued his every thought.

"Naruto…he only starts looking like that when he taps into the Kyuubi's power…" Hinata whispered more for her own benefit than Kiba's; from the look he gave her, he had already realized this, but he had no idea why he was gaining demonic features that, as Hinata watched him, were becoming more pronounced. In the few seconds she watched him, his eyes became an impossibly deep red color and his teeth lengthened until she could no longer call them teeth, but fangs.

Kiba had to tear his gaze away from Hinata as he searched the room for his dog. Finding Akamaru quite awake, but silently resting in a corner, Kiba could tell the white ball of fur knew something. Without so much as a warning, he moved with a speed he never knew he possessed and landed on the dog, pinning Akamaru to the floor. "What happened to me?" he demanded in a low voice that sounded more like a growl than anything else.

Seeing the way his dog now looked at him, with a mixture of surprise and hesitation, Kiba could only wonder what was going though Akamaru's mind. "Arf arf grr." _You were able to tap not only into your chakra reserves, but the Kyuubi's power…_

"How?" Kiba whispered as he leaned backwards, sliding off his dog's back and landing at Akamaru's side. He glanced over to Hinata and found a host of questions in her eyes. Quickly repeating what his dog had told him, he saw the same fear and amazement in her eyes that he knew were in his.

"Arf grr woof." _You and Naruto have a very close connection…so you could use the Kyuubi's chakra as easily as Naruto can…_

"Why me?" was all Kiba could ask as he looked down at his hands, seeing that his nails had lengthened and sharpened into claws. Tightening his hands into fists, he could tell Akamaru was speaking the truth. He could feel an unfamiliar chakra pulsing through him, but it was almost completely masked by his own energy.

Instead of speaking, Akamaru nudged his master's hand with his snout, forcing Kiba to open his hand and stare down at his palm, where there were barely visible scars from his experiments with Naruto's kunai. Furrowing his eyebrows, Kiba quickly pulled a sharpened blade out of the pouch at his side. Before Hinata or Akamaru could stop him, let alone realize what he was doing, he plunged the pristine blade through his palm. He did not even begin to feel the pain from his actions before he tore the metal up his arm, feeling the momentary resistance of bone, but that quickly gave way under the surgical sharpness of his blade. Finally stopping when he reached his elbow, Kiba released his tight grip on the kunai, leaving the metal buried into his arm. Almost as soon as he took his hand off the kunai, Kiba felt the searing pain his rash actions caused. Looking down at his entire arm in a morbid fascination, he watched as bright red, arterial blood erupted from his wound.

Even before Hinata released her cry of horror, the spurting of blood diminished to a small drip, then nothing at all as they watched the wounds close with a hiss and trail of smoke. Kiba glanced over at his teammate, seeing the paleness to her face, and could not help but smile sadly. "It isn't the first time I've done that, Hinata," he said softly as he glanced back down at his arm, studying the pale, almost invisible scar running up his arm to where the kunai was still embedded in his elbow. Even without any help on his part, the blade slipped out of his arm as the last bit of the wound healed itself. "Naruto's blood healed before," he added as he picked up the blade, which now only held a light stain of blood. He could not blame Hinata for the fear in her eyes as she looked at his arm. Both the direction and the deepness of his injury would have killed a normal person in a matter of minutes, but she was more afraid of the speed at which Kiba healed.

"H-his blood?" Hinata stammered as she took a few cautious steps towards Kiba, finally coming to kneel down next to him. Taking his arm gingerly, she turned it over in her hands, her Byakugan still activated as she studied his forearm. If she had not just witnessed Kiba's actions, she would have had no idea what he had done. The scar left was almost invisible even to her eyes and the red chakra that had encompassed his arm for that quick moment of healing had all but dissipated in the few seconds it took her to reach him. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Even when she had seen Naruto healing himself, his injuries were not as deep or as deadly as the one Kiba had just brushed off as a sick experiment of his. His injuries, too, did not heal that quickly. He at least had a few seconds to bleed, but Kiba had barely even begun to bleed before his arm was healed.

"I should have told you before…but I accidentally cut myself with Naruto's kunai one day…" Kiba replied softly as he looked up at his teammate. He did not have to elaborate on what kunai he was speaking of. He had never told Hinata about the letter Naruto had left him when he left on his trip nearly three years ago, but she somehow had always known about Naruto's condition.

"That is what caused the connection between you two?" Hinata asked as she glanced down to Akamaru. The dog said nothing, but his eyes told her that there was more to their close bond than just Kiba's clumsiness. The look in his gentle eyes told Hinata that, after Kiba was asleep, they would have to discuss what had truly happened to the teen. Hinata glanced back to Kiba, wondering if she should tell him that she and his dog had learned to communicate over the years together. Though she could not understand him in the same way an Inuzuka could, Hinata could, in a way, tell what Akamaru was saying and, with many questions on clarification, she could understand his meaning perfectly.

"What else could have?" Kiba asked rhetorically, but he felt like there could have been an actual answer to that when he saw the look exchanged between his dog and Hnata. Looking down at his hands, Kiba's eyes widened as he watched his claw-like nails shrink back to normal. Moving quickly to pick up the mirror Hinata had set at her side, Kiba studied his face, seeing how his eyes and other features were slowly returning to normal. Glancing over at his teammate, Kiba could also swear that his senses were dulling back to what he had always considered normal for him. When he finally saw the Hyuuga's Byakugan deactivate, he knew that she was no longer worried about him and his accidental destruction of his chakra pathways.

"Your chakra pathways are back to normal," Hinata said quietly as she looked down at her hands. With her Byakugan no longer activated, she did not have to see how the chakra in Kiba's body did not return to normal like she told him. The layer of chakra covering his entire body all but disappeared, but before deactivating her Byakugan, she could see how that energy now encircled every internal organ, working its way into the tissue so much so that she could see every internal structure because it seemed to glow and pulse with energy. She also did not know how to tell Kiba that his body was not only coated in chakra, but that his energy was no longer the pale blue any human had, but it was tinted to a shade of purple Hinata had never seen before. She did not have to think about the color for more than a heartbeat to realize she had only seen a shade similar to that on two other people. The only problem was that those other two had begun to meld their chakra with that of the demon they contained and, even then, the mixture of energies was not perfect. There were areas of their body that were blood red, while others being an impossible shade of blue. She smiled at Kiba, hiding the fact that she knew she had just seen the first person to ever successfully – perfectly – meld chakra with a demon.

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Gaara had to stop himself from glaring at his door with distain when he heard someone knock gently from the other side. By his best guess, it was past midnight, but he had been in and out of a mediation state since returning to Suna, so he was not entirely sure of the time. Whoever was up at this hour had a great deal of courage to come annoy him, so he quickly crossed off his siblings or any other advisor as possibly being the person on the other side of the door. They all knew better than to aggravate him after a long journey. Closing his eyes, he let a tendril of chakra slither across the floor, weaving its way up the door to release the latch. Letting the chakra encircle the doorknob, Gaara opened his eyes as the visible line of red energy opened the door, revealing his sister-in-law and his new diplomat's pet dog. Both had a surprised look on their face when they saw the Kazekage clear across the room, despite the fact the door had been unlocked and it was being opened seemingly on its own accord.

Hinata only had to glance to the door to see the red glow of the knob and, for a moment, her eyes widened in amazement. To have such control of demonic chakra was something she had never thought possible. Glancing back at Gaara, she smiled at the quiet teen. Unlike three years ago at the chuunin exams, she felt no fear when being in his presence. She had met Gaara one too many times in the hallway at the Hyuuga mansion when they were both half-naked (or in even less) and in various levels of sleep for her to be intimidated by the glare she now received. She had even seen Gaara when he first woke up, his hair strewn in all sorts of gravity-defying directions and having heard the soft, kitten-like mewls he made when yawning, she could not see him as the bloodthirsty boy he once was. If nothing else, she did not fear him because Neji trusted the redhead with his life…and his heart.

"I hope I did not wake you up, Kazekage-sama," Hinata said softly as she further entered the room. Akamaru followed behind her, still shaking slightly from the murderous glare the small redhead had given them when they entered his bedroom.

"It is Gaara to you and no, you did not," he replied quietly as he went back to looking out his window. No one other than his siblings was ever given permission to call him by his first name without any honorific, so Hinata was properly surprised at his comment. Smiling slightly as she realized this meant Gaara now saw her as family, Hinata lightened her step and took the last few strides between her and the young village leader. Before Gaara had a chance to defend himself, he found the Hyuuga heiress wrapping her arms around him and squeezing gently.

"Thank you for letting me come back with you, Gaara," Hinata all but whispered as she finally released Gaara from her embrace. She and Gaara both knew her gratitude was unnecessary – Gaara could not very well forbid his brother's bride from coming with them, especially when her family seemed to disown her once they discovered she was married. "And you should not be mad at Kankuro…the entire time we were gone, he was complaining that you were not there with us."

Her comment brought the smallest of smirks to Gaara's face, though he was quick to hide it under a scowl. That was not the only reason he was slightly annoyed with his brother – he would not say he was angry with the Puppet Master because he knew what real anger was and what it could do. Had he been angry with him, Gaara would have already been planning out his brother's death and, now discovering the human side of himself, he doubted he would ever be able to get angry at one of his siblings. Glancing down at his tightly closed fist, Gaara wondered if Hinata would be perceptive enough to see him move his hand so he could hide its contents within his robes. Feeling his sister-in-law's curious eyes on him, he knew that was impossible. Sighing to himself, he shifted so that he could place his fist over Hinata's hand, loosening his hold and dropping the small object onto her palm.

He all but smiled when he heard her soft gasp. Leaning his head back, Gaara continued to look out the window, unsure of how to explain himself to his lover's cousin. Had events turned out slightly different, he probably would have gone to Hinata for permission before Neji's ass of an uncle, but he had not had the chance to see his lover before all but fleeing from Konoha. Kankuro had told him the reason for Kiba's presence and, having immediately forged a kinship with the Kyuubi's container nearly three years ago, he knew the need for haste if he wanted to save the blonde from pain and certain death. Though more Kiba's fault than Kankuro's for leaving so soon, he still blamed his brother more because Kiba had no choice in the decision to be Konoha's diplomat in Suna.

"T-this is…" Hinata stuttered as she glanced between the small piece of jewelry in her hands to Gaara several times, trying to wrap her head around what a seemingly harmless bit of metal and stone would mean for the quiet, private Kazekage and her annoying family.

"I had meant to ask before we left…" Gaara said softly, unable to meet his sister-in-law's wide eyes. Closing his eyes for a moment, Gaara admitted to himself that his real reason for not asking was not simply because he did not have the time, but because he had no idea how to approach the subject, let alone how to tell Neji how he felt. Neji had no idea how much he cared, but that was entirely Gaara's fault. He had never before said those few words to anyone and the mere thought of doing so made his body shiver in fear. What if Neji merely laughed at him or, worse, did not feel the same? Biting his lip, Gaara harshly berated himself for being such a coward. Someone like him should not be afraid of anything, much less a few words that his lover _might_ say or the possibility of changing the close relationship he already had with the handsome Hyuuga.

"Does Neji know?" Hinata asked quietly as she studied the pained expression in Gaara's face. Smiling sadly, she started to understand why Gaara had been hesitant to hand her the beautifully crafted ring. "Neji cares about you more than you could ever imagine, Gaara. He would be an idiot not to say yes." Seeing the barest of smirks on the Kazekage's pale face, Hinata knew she had said just the thing he most needed to hear. "Don't wait to tell him…" Hinata bowed her head, recalling the letter Naruto's mother had written years before her son had been born. Had they changed things enough to alter Naruto's destiny? Would Kiba ever have the chance to tell Naruto what he yet had to admit to himself, though it was obvious to anyone with a pair of eyes and a beating heart?

"How do I tell him?" Gaara questioned as he shifted his gaze so he could see Hinata out of the corner of his eye. Watching the young woman take a seat across from him on the large windowsill, tucking her legs underneath her, Gaara waited impatiently for her to answer.

"What does your heart tell you?" she replied as she smiled at the nervousness she could clearly hear in Gaara's voice. He could not even muster the courage to tell his siblings out loud how much they meant to him; how could he possibly tell Neji? Hinata leaned forward ever so slightly before placing the ring back into Gaara's hand and closing his fingers around it. "Even Kankuro had a problem telling me how much he loved me…we are all unsure of ourselves and our emotions…it is part of being human."

"Things were so much easier three years ago," Gaara mumbled, recalling a time when his world was black and white – when he did not have to consider matters of the heart. It was before he had to worry about people's opinion of him, before he felt the need to show a gentler side to the unlikeliest of shinobi. Three years ago, he would not have believed anyone had they told him he would come to love the most feminine-looking boy in the chuunin exams…hell, he would not have believed he would have been capable of such emotions three years ago.

"But it was not as rewarding," Hinata pointed out with a smile, able to follow Gaara's train of thought. No matter how much pain emotions sometimes caused, she had seen the barest of smiles on Gaara's face when he thought no one was looking – she had seen the way he watched Neji when the young jounin was doing any number of mundane things. There was no way Gaara would ever want to return to the life he once had.

"Un" was the only reply Gaara gave as he tightened his fingers around the ring in his hand. Glancing over at his sister-in-law and the large dog at their feet, he wondered if they had barged into his room just to talk to him about Neji or if they had some other purpose. "Why did you come here?"

Hinata did not need the Kazekage to elaborate. She had seen the quick glance he had given Akamaru. "Did you sense any changes in Kiba during the last part of our trip or in the meetings you two went to?" she asked quietly as she looked down at her fingers.

"He used chakra the last few hours," Gaara replied, watching as Hinata widened her eyes in surprise. He had learned enough about reading body language to know she was wondering why he had not stopped their party in order for Kiba to rest. "I was curious. I felt demonic chakra…"

"The Kyuubi's," Hinata commented as she glanced down to Akamaru. As soon as her statement registered in Gaara's mind, he took on a similar surprised expression. Knowing he would not even have been able form a single word at the moment, let alone ask how something like that was possible, he waited for Hinata to continue. "Apparently he and Naruto have such a close bond that he shares the Kyuubi's chakra."

"How?" Gaara asked softly, thinking back to all the times he had seen Kiba over the years. Never before had he sensed any of that positively evil chakra, let alone enough to start altering his features – which he had noticed towards the end of their meetings. The demon within him had growled at the subtle changes, but neither of them could figure out why the chakra that had made Kiba's eyes turn red felt familiar. Now he knew.

"Arf arf."

"…mate…?" Gaara stared at the dog as Akamaru nodded his head. The first time he had met the dog, he had been surprised to perfectly understand the small puppy, but he had now grown so accustomed to it, he did not have to think twice about the deep voice he heard. Having spoken to Akamaru when his master was not around, Gaara had discovered the reason for their understanding – for so long, Gaara had been more animal than human that it was second nature to understand another beast.

"What?" Hinata's question was more a release of air than a particular word, which got Gaara to tear his gaze away from Akamaru. "What do you mean _mate_?"

Gaara listened to Akamaru's soft whimpers and his outright barks for a few seconds before turning to the Hyuuga and, taking a deep breath, started translating what bits she had not understood. "Apparently a few Inuzuka mentally and emotionally bond themselves to another person as soon as they begin to hit puberty. Their relationship is so close that they are essentially one person in two bodies…their features meld, as do their abilities and chakras. The Inuzuka clan has no idea why it happens, but they believe that the two are meant to be together and, generally, do nothing to interfere with the relationship…but this is the first time an heir has bonded to anyone, let alone someone of the same gender." For a moment, Hinata stared at him, having never heard him speak for such a long period of time without a great deal of prodding or when he believed he and Neji were alone.

"That is amazing," Hinata whispered to herself as she glanced down at Akamaru for a moment. "Does the Inuzuka clan know?" she asked white canine. She heard Akamaru whine softly, but she had to look to Gaara for clarification.

"The dogs do…they don't know how to break it to the family, though," Gaara replied as he studied the canine for a moment. He had heard that Kiba was the last of his clan, but that realization that, if he had no children, the family would die out, had not hit him until he heard the fear and desperation in Akamaru's voice. The dog did not have to tell Gaara that, if the clan knew, they might still try keeping Kiba away from Naruto just to save their family. He could tell from the conflict in Akamaru's eyes. For a moment, he tried to put himself in Kiba's position. Would he be willing to give up his entire family in order to stay with Neji? He did not even hesitate in answering that question. Though he would miss his siblings, he would give anything for that one jounin.

"Does Naruto know?" Hinata asked, her eyes shifting between Akamaru and Gaara. Seeing the white dog shake his head negatively, Hinata let out a sigh of relief. She could only imagine what Naruto would feel like knowing that he and Kiba were meant to be together, but if he pursued their relationship, it would result in the death of the Inuzuka clan.

"He knows they have a connection, but Akamaru told him that it was because Kiba has some of Naruto's blood in him," Gaara quickly translated when he heard the dog's quiet whines. Before Hinata even had the chance to ask the question that Gaara could tell was on the tip of her tongue, he continued, "Naruto has understood Akamaru since he returned to Konoha."

"And Kiba only knows they have a bond…" Hinata whispered to herself as she looked between the two males. "He noticed the demonic chakra only a little while ago." Studying Gaara for a moment, Hinata wondered something. "Can you see chakra, Gaara?" Seeing the young Kazekage nod his head, Hinata knew he would appreciate her earlier observations. "Kiba has been experimenting with chakra reserves…he flooded his chakra pathways when he tapped into them earlier – when he used the Kyuubi's chakra as well…now his chakra pathways are _wrong_…he has chakra running thorough every organ…and the lines are so dense, it is almost like his body is lined in solid energy. I have never seen anything like it before…

"Before, he was overflowing with chakra…so much so, his body was covered. He said he could smell and taste light…that he could feel sound…his senses have dulled since then, but the chakra…" Hinata trailed off as she activated her Byakugan, unsurprised to see the red and blue areas in Gaara's body. His head, which had, in the chuunin exams, been the deepest shade of red, was now lit with a pure blue, much like his limbs. Hinata could see, however, that there were two sets of pathways, the smaller one lying beneath the thick blue lines pulsed with a red shade that Hinata could only describe as evil. It was quite similar to what she had seen in Naruto, but so far from Kiba's body that she could only sigh. "Kiba's chakra is not blue, it is purple…his chakra has melded with the Kyuubi's." She could see a few purplish points in the web-like pattern traveling over Gaara's body, especially around the boy's vital organs and his skin, but it was nothing like what Kiba possessed. At her words, she saw the red lines in Gaara's small frame pulse strongly, as though the demon in him was reacting to such an outrageous comment.

"It is impossible…a human body would be torn apart," Gaara said quietly as he watched Hinata. The demon within him roared in anger that another human could have accomplished such an impossible feat when they had been working on such a thing since Gaara was a baby. To think the human had only tasted demonic chakra a few hours ago made the monster growl in a way that even got Gaara to shiver slightly.

"Arf."

Hinata could understand that comment just as well as Gaara. Furrowing her eyebrows, she could only agree with Akamaru. "Kiba is far from a normal human…I never believed the idea an Inuzuka could more animal than human before…" Looking up at the Kazekage, she saw he was deep in thought.

"He doesn't know about the melding?" Gaara finally asked, returning to the few words and statements he was accustomed to now that he did not have to translate the dog any longer. Hinata shook her head, though she was not entirely sure whether or not Kiba knew his body now contained almost as much demonic chakra as a container, but his was so well controlled, she doubted anyone other than those with the ability to see chakra would be able to notice.

"He knows he can heal himself like you and Naruto," Hinata said softly, recalling how Kiba had plunged the kunai into himself without hesitation. She had never before worried about Kiba's mental state before, but now she had reason to. He could not have been completely sure he would heal from the injury before he stabbed himself – he could not have known he could heal to such an extent. Hinata glanced over at the Kazekage, wondering if Gaara had ever experimented in such a way. Was he like Naruto and self-destructive? Or was he like Kiba and, in so many ways, afraid of the power he had? She had seen the fear in Kiba's eyes when he watched his arm heal miraculously. She could tell her best friend did not want that ability, but she doubted he realized that he might live with it for the rest of his life.

_What will happen to him if Naruto dies?_ Hinata asked herself as she glanced down at Akamaru. Now knowing their close tie, she had to think of the possibility that Naruto might not living long enough for Tsunade to save him. If Kiba's bond to the blonde was as close as Akamaru believed, would Kiba be able to cope with the loss? Would he become the new container for the Kyuubi when Naruto died? Or when Naruto's heart finally failed, would he, much like the boy he was bonded to, die?

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Authoress: Okay…definitely a plot-twisting chapter!!! YOSH! Anyways, I hope everyone's enjoying this horribly depressing story so far…and as for Kiba's new abilities…kukuku…that'll be for future chapters…so, please review so I know how to continue the story (though I already know the ending…but I won't ruin it for anybody!!)!!!


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Authoress: Yosh! I'm back again…and I hope everyone is enjoying how the story is turning out…kukuku...I have such ideas for this story…and a huge thanks goes out to B.Z.-chan for betaing this chapter!!

Disclaimer: If only…

**Chapter Thirteen**

Hinata let out a soft huff of air, her lips curving up in a saddened smile, as she watched her beloved teammate sleep. Many people would have seen her vigil as strange, creepy even, but they were the people who did not understand her and Kiba's close relationship. He was not simply a teammate, but a friend and a brother, much like Shino, but Kiba was so much more to her than words could describe. He was the one that she told all of her secrets to. He was the one on whose shoulder she cried; he was the one who had seen the worst parts of her and still could accept her and love her as she was. He laughed at her pitiful attempts at jokes, he hummed to her when she couldn't fall asleep, and he simply held her after she had a fight with her father. He was the first person to treat her as a person – the first to respect her as a shinobi – despite her stuttering. He was the one who worked on that speech impediment with her for hours on end, listening to her halting voice as she read out loud. He was the reason she was as well adjusted as she was.

Biting her lip, Hinata could not imagine a life without Kiba. When they were younger, she played with the idea of one day ending up living with the Inuzuka, not as lovers, but as best friends. He, too, had that idea. Kiba never told his family, but he voiced his feelings to her. He had never been attracted to anyone, so he doubted his father would succeed in finding him a bride, no matter how long or far the Inuzuka patriarch searched, so Kiba liked the idea that, no matter what, they would be together. They had agreed, at just ten years old, that if they never found that love of a lifetime – the kind of love that made you forget how to breathe and think that time had stopped in its tracks – they would move in together. They had laughed at the thought of making everyone in the village raise an eyebrow at their strange relationship, always wondering if they were simply friends or much more. He always told her that, when that day came, he would wake up first, bring her breakfast in bed, and otherwise spoil her like she deserved.

When they were younger and slept in one another's bed at night just so they had someone beside them to comfort them, they whispered secrets no other pair of ears would hear. He was the first to know about her relationship with Kankuro – when she was finally confident enough to tell him about their secret affair. In turn, she was the first person he told about his heated kiss with a certain blonde – the undeniable attraction he had towards Naruto. She had never thought that attraction – that horribly romantic bond he and the blonde teen shared – might lead to Kiba's death. The thought that Kiba one day might not be around to continue their tradition of sharing secrets at midnight made Hinata's chest ache.

Brushing a stray strand of hair away from Kiba's tanned forehead, Hinata furrowed her eyebrows, her face mirroring the torment she felt. How could she lie to Kiba, knowingly hide the fact his relationship with Naruto was something that was meant to be? Could she possibly keep such a thing from him when it was obvious to her that his feelings for the blonde went far beyond simple attraction? She had seen it in his eyes when she informed him that Naruto had returned to the village – she had noticed the subtle changes in his features, the barest of smiles he had when he thought no one was looking. He, for the first time in three years, looked _happy_. Was it fair to him or Naruto to deceive them? She knew exactly why Kiba had so readily agreed to come to Suna. He needed time away from Naruto to figure out what his feelings for the boy were. More specifically, he had to ask himself: was he prepared to lose his family for just a few months – or perhaps even less – with the blonde? But how would he react if he knew that he had been asked to Suna solely to keep him away from Naruto?

Kiba knew about Naruto's heart defect, but Hinata could see the conflict in his eyes. He may have promised the Hokage to stay away from Naruto, but he could not deny his own heart. She had to agree with Kiba's feelings, whether or not the Inuzuka could ever voice them to her. What kind of life would Naruto have without someone to love him? Whether or not everyone's meddling resulted in a long life, was it a life worth living if Naruto wasn't with the one he was meant to be with? More than anyone else she had ever met, Naruto deserved that chance at love. Even Gaara had family to care for him and the redhead did not grow up with the outright hatred of his village. If nothing else, the quiet boy had respect born out of fear of him, while Naruto only knew the distain, the curses, the pain, and the evil of the world around him.

Letting her hand come to rest on her best friend's tattooed cheek, Hinata brushed her thumb against the red triangle, remembering how, when she was a child, she had been afraid of the boy because of those tattoos. She had never before seen someone their age with such markings, nor had she before seen the sharpened fangs and unusual eyes of the Inuzuka clan, so she had been hesitant to approach Kiba. He had actually been the one to come over to her on their first day at the academy, introducing himself and saying he wanted to be friends. Years later, he told Hinata that he had done so because his instincts told him that they were meant to be the closest of friends. That statement was quickly followed by a powerful hug on Kiba's part.

Smiling to herself, Hinata wondered how many people really knew Kiba. Did they know the sensitive side to the muscular boy? Did they know just how perceptive he was when they showed unease around him because of his animalistic features and abilities? Could they possibly understand who the real Kiba was, when they only saw an heir stubbornly refusing to do his duty to his clan? How could they know how Kiba's heart and body yearned for someone that fate seemed to be taking away from him before they even got a chance to explore their feelings for one another? She knew how Kiba felt and why, even now, he feared voicing his attraction to Naruto – she had seen the curious glances she and Kankuro had gotten, heard the whispers behind their backs, but she knew the rumors would be far worse if people knew about Kiba's feelings for Naruto. They would wonder what evil power the Kyuubi used to seduce the Inuzuka. They would ask why Kiba – a very masculine, handsome young man – was attracted to a blonde boy with more emotional problems than the rest of the village combined. They would never be able to see the change in the boys' eyes, the smiles they shared, the comfort they found in one another – they would not look that close because they were blind to anything other than what Kiba and Naruto were. A demon container and the sole heir to one of the oldest clans in Konoha…the majority of the village would never see the boys as just two teenagers that were destined for one another. Hinata doubted that Kiba's family would see that; they were the ones who refused to see Kiba as the confused teen he was, unsure of his emotions because he was torn between the family that loved him and the boy who he was destined to love.

For a moment, Hinata could not help but wonder how things would have turned out if the Kyuubi had not attacked sixteen years ago. Had she not entered their village, the Fourth would have lived – but, at the same time, his son would have died. Naruto wouldn't have felt the village's hatred, but he would have only known a few weeks of life. Without Naruto in his life, would Kiba have grown up feeling like he wasn't complete? Or would he have fallen in love with someone else? Hinata had to also ask herself whether or not Kiba would have survived infancy. If his and Naruto's bond was so close, so destined, could it have been that, with one's death, the other would follow?

Brushing her thumb against the dark mark on his cheek, Hinata studied Kiba's face. In three short years, he had grown up, but even when asleep, he still held harshness to his face that no teenager should have. In a way, he seemed to suffer just as much as Naruto, but whereas the blonde had his entire lifetime to know that kind of pain, Kiba had it all crammed into three short, lonely years. He never said anything in those years about the changes that were visible to anyone who knew him, but Hinata knew that Kiba had merely gone through the motions of living. He no longer found pleasure in training, he no longer laughed like he once had. He had even started to become a loner, opting for solo missions instead of those with his team, surprising many because the Inuzuka clan was known to work in packs – and love doing so. What few people knew, let alone understood, other than Hinata, was that Kiba's reason for existence, whether or not Kiba even realized it, was gone.

Shifting her hand to rest on her best friend's forehead, Hinata wondered, for what seemed like the thousandth time since leaving Gaara's room, what would happen to Kiba if Naruto died soon. Even if their bond left Kiba alive, would Kiba want that? Would he feel an empty place in his heart, like a part of him was missing? Would he constantly be reminded of Naruto wherever he looked? What Hinata worried most about was that, if Naruto could not be saved, Kiba would crumble. That bravado characteristic of all Inuzukas, was just a thin wall on Kiba, hiding the sensitive teen from a world that would have otherwise destroyed him. She doubted even Kiba realized how similar he was to the blonde, whom few people truly knew.

Closing her eyes, Hinata recalled how, without a second thought or a questioning moment of self preservation, Kiba had torn apart his arm. She pictured that blade slicing along the fragile arteries in his arm, how his skin had split under the surgical sharpness of the kunai. The most frightening thing was the lack of pain on Kiba's face while he stared at his own arm in morbid fascination as he began to bleed. She had never before seen such an uncaring look on her friend's face, and that was what frightened her the most. If it came down to it, would Kiba rather perform the ultimate shameful act rather than continue in a life without his reason for living? Could he possibly find some way of stopping that demonic healing so that he did not have to live alone?

Hinata did not have to look within herself for an answer. As she glanced down at her friend's arms, she saw the pale mark traveling up his forearm. His arms, much like other shinobi, were littered in scars, but they were shallow, minor wounds. Those old scars were crisscrossed by that one fresh mark from his palm to his elbow. That deep scar instantly made Hinata's breath catch in her throat. From the depth of the mark, the injury would have resulted in death for anyone else, but on Kiba, that scar now stood as a reminder that, whether or not he wanted it, he was virtually indestructible. And, no matter how physically unbreakable he was, he would not be able to end the emotional pain when the only other seemingly indestructible shinobi's heart stopped beating.

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Kiba tilted his head backwards, letting the sunlight bathe his face in its warm rays. The sun had not been out long, but it was enough to begin warming his skin and evaporating the dew on the ground beneath him. Stretching out on the damp grass, he propped himself up on his elbows. He took a deep breath through his nose, catching a whiff of the green foliage around him, as well as Akamaru, who he knew to be off chasing something in the woods. Another aroma reached his nose and, for a moment, the Inuzuka smirked at the familiar scent. Steeling his features, the brunet waited until the source of that delicious smell was almost on top of him. For a moment, the newcomer hovered over him, more than likely wondering if Kiba had actually fallen asleep or if he was playing. Without even opening an eye, the Inuzuka pulled his unsuspecting prey down to the ground, flipping over as he did so in order to pin the smaller body beneath his own, straddling narrow hips with his long legs.

"Get off, baka." Kiba opened his eyes at that deliciously deep voice, finding the most beautiful blonde underneath him. Rolling his azure eyes, the spitting image of the Fourth pouted, his scarred cheeks puffing out immaturely. Laughing, the Inuzuka did just that, but not after leaning forwards and kissing the tanned forehead beneath him. As he lay out on the grass next to the blonde, Kiba watched him sit up, still glaring at the brunet for all he was worth.

"Good morning to you too," Kiba replied with a chuckle and was rewarded with the barest of smiles. That one little upturn of lips was far brighter than any faked smirk he had ever seen before and, unable to stop himself, Kiba found himself sitting up and pulling that handsome face closer so he could brush his lips against the blonde's. Feeling the warmth of his lover's skin, Kiba let his tongue trace along those lips, finally getting the blonde to open his mouth with his gentle ministrations.

Swallowing the softest of moans coming from his lover, Kiba pulled the younger shinobi closer to him, exploring the moist caverns of the blonde's mouth with a skilled tongue. Tracing every inch of that warm mouth, Kiba shifted so he was in front of his lover without ever breaking their increasingly heated kiss. Before he had a chance to object, Kiba pushed his shy lover onto the ground, holding him down with a gentle hand as he ran his tongue along the blonde's lower lip, sucking on it ever so gingerly when he felt his lover about to complain that he had somewhere to be. Not giving the younger man a chance to form words of protest, Kiba brought his free hand down to cup the proof that he still had the ability to turn his blonde on with a single kiss.

Tracing his lover's growing erection through several layers of material with long, graceful fingers, Kiba broke their impassioned kiss in order to trail gentle nips down the blonde's sensitive neck. Almost as soon as his lips left his lover's, the man started to speak "I have a meeting, Kiba…I can't be late!" The last bit of his half-hearted protest was a soft pant as Kiba began sucking on the younger man's collar bone, assuring himself that he would leave a very visible mark that would stay at least a few hours. That soft, whispery comment was quickly followed by "I can't get grass stains on my robes."

Kiba had to smirk at this attempt at getting out of their interlude. His lover was all too timid when it came to their lovemaking, but Kiba had started changing him ever so slowly, he doubted the younger shinobi beneath him could even recall a time when he refused to make love in daylight. Nowadays, it didn't take much to convince his smaller lover to do things that, at one time, would have gotten that tan face to flush a color bright enough to rival Kiba's tattoos. Having his way with his beautiful lover outdoors, however, was one thing the blonde was still skittish about – and for good reason.

"What if someone _sees_?!" the blonde whined as Kiba started solving the robe problem, slipping his lover's arms out of the thick material. As he revealed a broad expanse of sun-kissed skin, Kiba began kissing every inch of that perfect chest, making sure to pay special attention to his lover's highly sensitive nipples. Taking one of the erect nubs between his teeth, Kiba gently grazed his canines along the golden flesh, evoking a sound from his lover that made his lower body harden in response.

Giving the nub a quick lick, Kiba began trailing his tongue down the defined contours of his lover's abdomen, only stopping when he reached the vertical line of unbelievably soft blonde hair that was so light, it was almost invisible against that bronze skin. Recalling his lover's question, Kiba lifted his head back up, smirking when he heard a whimper in protest – this time, from stopping his torturously slow kisses. Laughing at the blush on those scarred cheeks, Kiba studied the god-like body beneath him and could not believe his luck in capturing – and holding – the affection of the most desirable person in the village.

For a moment, Kiba sat back, wondering what he could possibly have done to deserve such attention. Letting his gaze lower to the blonde's chest, Kiba brought a hand up to trace the long, jagged line traveling from between the blonde's collarbones down to the middle of his torso. Feeling his lover's heart beating strong beneath that deep impression, Kiba could not help but smile. It was the only mark that revealed that the powerful blonde had once been so close to losing the life that so many people had fought to save. The mark no longer hurt the smaller man and, in the past few years, had begun to fade, but it still served as a constant reminder of their past and the difficult journey it had been to reach where they were now, both in their lives and their relationship.

"I love you, Naruto," Kiba said softly, all joking absent from his voice as he cupped his lover's cheek with a gentle hand. He had made a point of telling the blonde those few precious words every day, not wanting to have his partner, if even for a moment, ever wonder about Kiba's feelings for him. The blonde smiled in response, his blue eyes revealing the same affection, though it was rare for Naruto to say those words. Even years after admitting his feelings towards the blonde, those looks filled with love still made Kiba's heart stop for a moment. To think, he had been so close to losing his most important person because he was a coward. Bending forwards so he could brush his lips against a scarred cheek, Kiba could not imagine what life would have been like without waking up next to the blonde every morning, discovering that those blue eyes contentedly watched him sleep when the smaller shinobi woke up first or how, when Kiba least expected it, he was having his tattooed cheek being innocently kissed. He could not imagine what he would do if he was not able to rest his head on that muscular chest, listening to that strong heartbeat that proved miracles really did happen.

"You didn't answer my question, Dog Breath," Naruto jokingly replied as he pressed his hips against Kiba's, grinding a very noticeable hardness into his lover's leg. At the sound of his childhood nickname, Kiba smirked and realized that despite the years together and the difficult times, their relationship was one of legend. Even back then, he had somehow known he and the blonde were meant to be together, though it took him a while to admit it to himself and the blonde.

Laughing softly at Naruto's adamant question – and bold show of need – Kiba let his hand return to his lover's groin, running along the hardness he found there. In response, the younger man let out a moan, stifling it enough that there was little chance anyone other than the two of them heard. "If anyone sees us," Kiba said softly as he deftly finished untying the thick robes around his lover, revealing an erection begging for his attention. As he knelt back, preparing to take the blonde's manhood in his mouth, Kiba finished his statement with a chuckle that Naruto only knew about because he felt the warm breath against his weeping member, "they will say 'that is one very, very satisfied Hokage.'"

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Hinata furrowed her eyebrows as she watched Kiba sleep, a smirk coming to the Inuzuka's face as he slumbered. Only able to imagine what got her best friend to have such a smile on his face, Hinata started to understand when Kiba mumbled a certain blonde's name under his breath, his voice filled with an emotion she had only heard before in her husband's tone when they were alone. Feeling her face erupt in a bright crimson, Hinata was about to flee from the room before she died of embarrassment for catching her best friend in a very erotic dream, but she froze when his eyes fluttered open for a brief moment. She could sense he was still asleep, so Hinata leaned over her friend, despite his quickening breath and the whimpering sounds coming from his lips, but his eyes did not open again.

Sitting back on the edge of the bed, Hinata tried to think of a reason for what she'd seen and, as her eyes widened, she found herself staring at Kiba for a whole new reason. In that brief moment his eyes were open enough for her to see them clearly, Hinata could have sworn that she had seen not the eyes of the Inuzuka clan, but of a very different clan. Knowing with certainty there was no relationship between the two clans, the Hyuuga could only wonder if what she had seen was just a trick of the light or the result of a sleepless night. Her mouth all but dropped when she realized there was _one_ link between the two clans, but she could not think of why, while asleep, Kiba could tap into such an amazing ability and she could only imagine what he had seen as he unconsciously used such a rare power.

_His eyes…_Hinata thought to herself as she quickly left the room, now sure that her observations were correct, though she was still unsure why or how such a thing was possible. As she made her way back to her own room, Hinata finally admitted to herself what she had seen mere moments before. _Kiba, for that second he opened his eyes, they weren't his eyes, or even those demonic eyes like before…Naruto has the dormant trait because of his mother, but…Kiba had the Sharingan…_

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Kiba slowly came into consciousness, first becoming aware of the sounds around him. They were so soft; he doubted that anyone other than an Inuzuka would have heard them. Unlike the chirping and rustling leaves that he had been accustomed to back in Konoha, he now only heard wind whistling through an almost barren village, ravaged by the harsh wasteland around them and the wars Suna was almost constantly fighting. He could also hear the muffled voices of people within the large palace, their words indistinguishable, but Kiba could somehow tell they were speaking so quietly in order to not wake others. He wondered momentarily why they were being so soft-spoken, having grown up in a house where no one cared if you were sleeping; no matter what the hour of the day, his family members were loud enough to wake the dead. Remembering what Hinata told him about a certain Kazekage's insomnia, it was no wonder the bustling palace around him was very conscious about every sound they made and how, however soft that noise was, it had the chance of waking their young leader on the off-chance Gaara had been sleeping.

Blinking his eyes several times as he fought against the urge to go back to a dream-filled sleep, Kiba pushed himself up into a sitting position and bowed his head so that his chin touched his chest. Involuntarily, Kiba felt a smile come to his face as he recalled the dream that had filled his slumber. It was not often that he remembered his dreams, let alone be able to picture them as vividly as he could now. The clarity in which he could recall the dream was partially the reason his cheeks were starting to turn a red shade matching his tattoos. Never before had he had such a realistic fantasy. In his dream, he was able to smell everything, taste it as though it was right in front of him. And, even now that he was fully awake, he could still taste the saltiness of sweat licked from golden skin and hear the soft pants and moans ringing in his ears. Even that delicious aroma of ramen, mixed with an earthy scent Kiba knew to be particular to one shinobi, still lingered in his nostrils. He could feel stinging in his back where, in his dream, that blonde had clawed him in the throes of passion.

Forcing himself to think of anything other than the very erotic parts of his dream, Kiba closed his eyes and pictured the blonde – quite clothed as to keep his body from reacting. He had not thought about it in his dream, but looking back at it with a clear head, he could see that the man he had made love to was not the teen he had left back in Konoha. No, this was a man who looked eerily similar to the Fourth and the distinctive Hokage robes did nothing to lessen that resemblance. His face was scarred, much like Naruto's, but his eyes did not hold that heart-wrenching depression covered by a thin layer of happiness. They were eyes and a face that had no mask hiding the true blonde. When he smiled, he was truly happy, and when he laughed, it was not that chuckle that was so forced it hurt Kiba to hear it. The man that he had dreamt of was one who had come to terms with who and what he was and, somewhere along the way, had realized he was surrounded by friends and family that loved him when he used to believe he was all alone.

Metaphorically taking a step back to study the image of his dream-induced lover, Kiba found himself wondering how many years his subconscious must have thought it would take for Naruto to change so much. The man was physically older than the sixteen year old blonde and, if Kiba had to hazard a guess, he would say the man in his dreams was in his late twenties or early thirties. At some point, Kiba's subconscious had decided, Naruto shot upwards, becoming a tall man somewhere close to Kakashi in height. His hair was no longer the unruly mop of the ramen-loving teen, but hair that Kiba would love to run his fingers through. Instead of his chronic bed head, his hair had grown out, allowing him to tie most of it back in a loose ponytail. Of the loose hair remaining, there was a lengthy braid tucked behind one ear, heavily and ornately beaded so much that, in his dream, Kiba could hear the glass chinking together as they made love. The few strands that remained rebellious framed a face that was too beautiful for words. His face had narrowed, losing all the roundness of childhood, while the rest of him had expanded to give him features that his body now did not even hint at. Though still far more muscular than the scrawny teen, he was leaner than most shinobi, but his frame was perfection in its chiseled definition and the visible power those muscles contained. And, if it was even possible, the Naruto of his dreams had even darker skin than now. Recalling how he had thought of the blonde in his dream, Kiba had to agree with his subconscious – this was a man who would be considered one of the most handsome men in Konoha, but when he smiled, he would instantly be the single most desirable person to exist.

Kiba shook his head, wondering when he had started to lose his mind. Fantasizing was one thing, but fantasizing about a dream was too close to insanity for the Inuzuka. Shaking all sexual thoughts from his head, the brunet wondered why he had dreamed of an older Naruto, one who had accomplished his one lifetime goal and become Hokage. Smiling to himself, Kiba quickly realized why, even unconsciously, he would have thought of such a thing. In his dream, Naruto had grown up and had the chance of proving himself worthy of the Hokage title. His life had not been claimed by a heart defect that not even the Kyuubi could heal. Picturing the deep, shockingly white scar that ran down the man's chest, Kiba could only guess that his subconscious had been hoping Tsunade would find a surgery that could save Naruto's life and give them the chance to be together.

That thought made Kiba, figuratively, stop in his tracks. He had been so curious about the physical differences in Naruto that he had not once thought about what he had felt for the blonde in his dream. Looking at his feelings now, however, made him realize something that he had been afraid to say before his subconscious all but bashed it into his head.

_I love him. _Admitting those few words took a weight off Kiba's chest that he had never noticed was even there. He had been so worried about what his family would say and do, that he had not taken the time to look at his feelings for the blonde beyond the undeniable attraction they shared. Recalling his dream, once again for help, Kiba felt the same regret he had experienced in his dreams. In that enlightening dream, he had wished he told Naruto sooner, that he had spent less time lying to himself.

Quickly making the decision to learn from what his unconscious mind had been trying to tell him, Kiba all but flew off of his bed in order to race towards Hinata's room, uncaring that his mode of undress gained rather wide eyes (and some drool) from the people he was flying by.

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"Good morning, sleepy." Hinata smiled as she felt her husband's soft lips brush against her cheek, his words a mere puff of warm breath against her skin. Those lips slowly made their way down her neck to kiss an exposed collar bone. Kankuro, having learned quickly how to remove her nightshirt, deftly undid the buttons, opening her shirt just enough to reveal a line from her breastbone down to her navel. Continuing his torturously slow trail downwards, Kankuro expertly licked the small indentation at her belly, eliciting a soft moan from his wife.

Hinata was quick to bite her lower lip as the brunet kneeling over her continued moving down, worshipping her thin, yet muscular thigh with his tongue and lips. Shifting so that he could alternate between biting and licking his way back up her inner thigh, Kankuro traced the gentle curves of her waist and hip with one hand while the other held her leg down. Had his hand not been resting on her knee, Kankuro knew his wife would have snapped her legs together so quickly, he would not have had a chance to do what he had been planning since he had woken up this morning. Though they had been lovers for years, Hinata's shyness had always stopped him from doing anything other than the most traditional form of making love. Without giving his wife a chance to protest, Kankuro placed his head at the junction of those creamy white legs and licked her most intimate area. Despite the thin layer of white material separating him and his goal, Kankuro could still taste his wife and quickly became addicted to the unique salty taste.

"Kankuro!" Hinata's one protest was somewhere between a squeak, a mewl, and a hiss and the Puppet Master could not help but be turned on by it. Running his tongue up, he found himself shivering in excitement at the next sound that came out of his small wife as he hit the sensitive nub of nerve endings. If the involuntary bucking of Hinata's hips was any indication, he would guess that the thin strip of material between them did nothing to lessen her pleasure. That realization, however, did not stop him from sitting back long enough to hurriedly remove the only article of clothing separating him from doing what he had been plotting all morning. Before Hinata got the chance to squirm away, Kankuro returned to his previous position and slid his tongue between those soft folds of flesh, quickly finding that nubbin again. Surprising himself with his newfound ability, all it took was a few gentle caresses to make his wife beg for him.

Sitting back on his heels, Kankuro fumbled to strip himself and was rewarded with several loud tearing sounds at his clumsy attempts. Laughing at his giddiness, Hinata sat up, her own shirt sliding off slender shoulders to reveal a body that made Kankuro's erection twitch in anticipation. With only a few soft giggles, she helped him remove his shirt, which had somehow gotten caught around his head in his valiant attempts to remove it. Almost as soon as the material cleared the top of his head, Kankuro, with the speed only a shinobi could possess, pulled his wife into his lap. Groaning softly as his member brushed against her wet entrance, Kankuro could not help but take a moment to wonder what kind of saintly work he had done in a past life to deserve her. What happened next, however, made him wonder if he had been a bipolar saint in order to deserve Hinata's other half.

"GYAH!! Sorry about that!" Kankuro did not have to turn to know that there was a blushing Inuzuka frozen in his bedroom doorway, unable to move either out of surprise or a violent eye twitch at the image of his best friend and her husband intimately embraced. Feeling his wife slide off of his lap and, in the same movement, throw her shirt back on and cover up her sinfully beautiful body, Kankuro was about ready to first kill Kiba, and then beg for his wife to come back, but he knew it would be no use. The furious blush across Hinata's pale face was enough indication that he had no chance of continuing their interlude so long as the canine-loving idiot was gawking in his doorway. And, for Kiba to come into their bedroom, there had to be a reason, so he knew there was no chance of making love to his wife until she and her close friend had a chance to talk about whatever Kiba had interrupted them for.

"Kiba!" Hinata all but hissed as she quickly got out of the bed, shifting so that she was directly in Kiba's line of sight in order to keep her best friend from seeing more of her husband than either young man wanted. The Inuzuka could only stare dumbly at her for a moment, his tattoos invisible against the shade of red coating his cheeks. Hearing the rustle of material behind her, Hinata was unsurprised when her husband came up behind her and kissed the back of her neck in a silent apology. She was about to ask where he was going, but he answered the question without any prompts.

"I'm going to go take a shower…a very cold shower…" he mumbled under his breath before all but fleeing the room. It was another few moments before Kiba snapped out of his shock, at which point he shivered slightly in disgust.

"Ew, Hinata…lock your door or something…" he commented as he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to get rid of the image of his best friend's legs wrapped around the Puppet Master's narrow hips, her delicate fingers clawing his muscular back. For a moment, Kiba forgot why he had even come to her room, his head filled with images of what else he might have walked in on had he been a little bit slower.

"…you didn't hear or smell what we were doing?" Hinata asked with a raised eyebrow, as she started to shuffle around the room, throwing off her nightshirt in exchange for an outfit similar to her shinobi uniform. Kiba was unfazed by her bold display of nudity – having all but lived together since childhood, had given them a lack of caring when it came to revealing their bodies around one another. Considering he was not attracted to the female sex made it even less uncomfortable for him, but he could understand why she momentarily covered up while Kankuro was in the room. He had the feeling the Puppet Master wouldn't appreciate the fact Hinata had no problem walking around nude when she and the Inuzuka were alone.

"Um…I was distracted," Kiba replied truthfully as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. He had been thinking about his dream and the effects it was having on him so much so that he had somehow ignored the soft moans coming from the inside of Kankuro's bedroom. Now that he had been brought back to the present, the scent that permeated the room made Kiba's stomach turn slightly as he started getting images of what actions could cause such pungent bodily secretions. Not that the smells themselves were that offensive, but the thought of his best friend doing such actions made Kiba's eye twitch uncontrollably.

"With what?" Hinata asked curiously as she looked up from putting a sandal on. Kiba glanced around the room for a moment, unsure if he should tell Hinata the full extent of his dream or just tell her the bare minimum. Having shared erotic dreams before, it was not the raunchy details of his dream that which made him blush slightly, but the thought that he had been fantasizing about a future life with Naruto, that made him hesitate. He had not even been sure how deep his feelings for the blonde went, until this morning – would it come as a surprise to Hinata?

"I-I realized something," Kiba started off as he took a few steps into the room, coming to kneel in front of his teammate, because a part of him refused to sit on the bed next to her after what he had just witnessed. Looking into her pale eyes, Kiba could see a glimmer of understanding – that she somehow knew what he was about to say and he could tell she was overjoyed. "I love him…and I want to go tell him right now, but I have no idea how to…and I have a diplomatic duty here…"

Hinata, for a brief moment, was surprised at how quickly Kiba had come to realize his feelings for Naruto, but she could still see the conflict in his eyes. It was no longer a question of his feelings for the boy, but how Naruto would react to them. The blonde was someone who was not familiar with the concept of love, having never known it before, but Hinata had the inkling that he would come to accept Kiba's feelings for him if they had enough time together.

Quickly recalling why Kiba had been sent here, she had to bite back the comment that he should just go and tell Naruto now. She still had a mission to keep the boys apart, though she knew she could only delay Kiba so long. "We will think of a way to tell Naruto," she finally said after adopting a thoughtful expression, the gears in her mind turning quickly as she thought of a plan to keep Kiba in the village, hopefully, long enough for Tsunade to find a way to save Naruto. "In the meantime, stay in Suna a few weeks and bring Akamaru with you to all the meetings so that, when you leave for Konoha, he can be the diplomat in your stead." Seeing the question slowly forming in her teammate's mind, Hinata added, "Gaara can understand him just as well as you and, to an extent, so can I, so we won't have a problem discussing important matters."

For some reason, Kiba was unsurprised at that comment. He always knew there was a bond between his dog and Hinata, but the Kazekage's understanding of the canine resulted in only a raised eyebrow before he shrugged it off as an ability of a demon container. "That's a good idea," he commented slowly, wondering why his instincts were all but screaming he was being manipulated. He ignored those feelings, knowing Hinata would never do such a thing and that, more than likely, it was because a part of him was eager to find out if being inside the real Naruto was just as amazing as his dream and did not want to hear that he should wait a few weeks. Another, more logical part of the Inuzuka, however, kept reminding him that, in his dreams, he had regretted not telling Naruto sooner – that they could have bypassed many problems had he not been such a coward in telling the blonde his feelings. Kiba was quick to shake that thought from his head, reminding himself that it was just a dream.

"What made you realize your feelings for him?" Hinata asked curiously as she watched the barely contained emotions in her teammate's eyes. She had been so surprised at Kiba's entrance before, she had only just realized his eyes were back to normal, no longer the shocking red of the Sharingan. As she studied him, she also noticed that there was a great deal of his muscular frame visible. A part of her had to wonder why he had raced into her room in nothing but a pair of tight-fitting black boxers, but she knew Kiba well enough to know that his wardrobe was not high on his priority list. He, much like the rest of the Inuzuka clan, saw no reason to hide his body in embarrassment, so it was not uncommon for him and the rest of the clan to walk around at home in what anyone outside their family would call indecent exposure.

"A _dream_ I had last night," Kiba replied with a smile, his expression revealing that it was more than just an innocent dream. Hinata forced herself to chuckle at her teammate's idea of a perverted joke while her mind raced with the implications his harmless statement meant. Seeing the happiness on her best friend's face, Hinata could only wonder what that dream of his contained besides the obvious sexual theme that his statement implied. "It sounds weird, but I dreamed that Naruto and I were lovers and that he was Hokage…Tsunade had found some way to save him from that heart defect…he had this huge scar down the middle of his chest…oh, he was around thirty in my dream…but sexy as hell…"

Hinata froze at her teammate's confession. She instantly had to ask herself if it had really been a dream at all, her mind filled with images of the blood red eyes that had, for the briefest of moment, shown her the depth of Kiba and Naruto's bond. A part of her could only hope that was there a possibility that, by somehow tapping into Naruto's dormant Uchiha traits, he had gained abilities similar to the blonde's mother. _Was it a dream or did Kiba see a possible future where Naruto survives?_

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Authoress: Yosh! I love these cliffhangers! Okay, this chapter was entirely devoted to Kiba, and I'm sorry for that, but I promise next chapter will be all about our favorite blonde – we have to find out what Naruto's feelings for Kiba are, ne? So, until next time, ja ne!

B.Z.: I guess the regular readers aren't the only ones you torture...


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Authoress: Yosh, I'm putting off schoolwork so I can write more for Revealing a Kitsune!! Now, because last chapter was completely devoted to Kiba, I am planning on this chapter being mostly (if not entirely) about Naruto…so, onto the story!

Disclaimer: If only I owned Naruto…

**Chapter Fourteen**

Taking a moment to let out a soft sigh, Naruto leaned back in his seat. Listening to the old pervert – his grandfather – discuss his newest novel with one of his most avid readers was not what the blonde had been imagining when Jiraiya said they were going out for a night on the town. Glancing over at Kakashi and his grandfather, who were thick as thieves, their perverse giggles mirroring one another as they poured over the old man's ratty journal, Naruto could only roll his eyes. Shifting his gaze, the blonde could not help but smirk, when he saw a similar expression of disinterest – and slight annoyance – on a certain academy teacher's face.

"Iruka-sensei…how do you deal with Kakashi-sensei all the time?" Naruto asked curiously, truthfully wanting to know how exactly the two men had, against all odds, forged a relationship. Other than both being teachers, being in the same age group, and both knowing him, Naruto could think of very little the two had in common. Iruka hated the Icha Icha series, was punctual, organized, a control-freak, and loved children. And Kakashi was, well, _Kakashi_. He was everything Iruka wasn't, but there had to be some reason the two men glanced at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking, sharing smiles and gentle touches that told anyone around them, that theirs was a relationship to be envied.

"He gives really good head…" Iruka said loudly, as he glanced down at his cup of sake, which had magically refilled itself throughout the night. Naruto knew it wasn't so much magic as a waitress who was quite taken with the academy teacher. Apparently she was the only person alive who was somehow blind to the fact Iruka was very gay, and that he had an extremely possessive boyfriend sitting at the table, who growled every time the girl came near, though Kakashi did nothing to stop her from refilling the chuunin's cup.

Kakashi and Jiraiya both snapped to attention when they heard Iruka's words, their perverse giggles disappearing as they stared wide-eyed at the chuunin. Naruto could only wish he had never asked, now that he had the image of his guardian and Kakashi doing many X-rated things that Kakashi was apparently very good at.

"Maa…Iruka…I think you've had enough to drink…" Kakashi said as he moved to stand, but was frozen by a glare from his boyfriend. Glancing between the two shinobi, Naruto marked another similarity. Whereas Iruka's pink cheeks were due to a large amount of alcohol, the color peeking over the edge of Kakashi's mask was certainly because of his boyfriend's loud statement. Apparently Kakashi did have some shame, much to Naruto's surprise.

"Oh, what gave you that idea, oh observant one?" Iruka retorted scathingly, as he pulled his sake closer to himself, far out of the reach of his boyfriend. Naruto had seen his guardian drunk once or twice over the years, so he was not surprised to see this very un-Iruka-like side of the compassionate teacher. From the slight widening of Kakashi's eyes, he apparently had never encountered a drunken Iruka before.

"Irukaaaaa…" Kakashi pleaded with a sickeningly sweet tone, slowly moving towards his boyfriend and the man's well-protected sake cup. Before Iruka even had the chance to register what his lover was doing, Kakashi had pilfered the small piece of porcelain. The jounin, however, underestimated the brunet in that, almost as soon as he had a firm grip on the cup, a loud crack echoed throughout the room, silencing the once loud bar. It took a few moments for it to register in the jounin's head that he had just been slapped across the face by his boyfriend, if Naruto was to guess from the way Kakashi slowly reached up to touch his offended cheek.

"You'd rather hang out with an old pervert, than spend time with me…" Iruka stated calmly, as though that was a completely understandable reason to get himself shit-faced and then smack his boyfriend.

Naruto had to slightly agree with Iruka's mentality. It was rude of Kakashi to all but drag his boyfriend over, when he had caught sight of Jiraiya and Naruto in the crowded bar. A bar certainly was not Naruto's first choice in a place for him and his grandfather to spend some quality time, but he quickly forgave the man when the waitresses started serving him alcohol. Naruto passed that surprise up to the fact they were more than likely unable to see he was obviously underage, with all of the hearts they had in their eyes after Jiraiya pulled out a suspiciously thick wallet. Already, Jiraiya had dished out a small fortune to the waitresses. Naruto had the feeling the old man had won a bet against Tsunade, for him to be so happy about treating for a night out. Usually getting the man to pay was like pulling teeth…large, stubborn, whiney, cheap teeth.

"Whaa? You said it was okay!" Kakashi pointed out, his tone far more like a pout than Naruto had ever heard before. Rolling his eyes at the jounin, Naruto wondered if Kakashi had ever learned that Iruka only meant a third of what he actually said. Everything else he said was to keep from offending or hurting others. Having known Iruka for so long, Naruto could easily tell what the man meant, and what he was kindly lying about, but Kakashi had yet to get that particular talent down.

Seeing the glare his lover gave him, Kakashi gave the man a sheepish grin. He had thought Iruka had given in too easily when he suggested they come over and say hi…apparently he was right. Kneeling down next to the brunet's chair, Kakashi found himself at eye level with his partner. When he saw the hurt masked behind his lover's gentle eyes, Kakashi made himself feel the heart-wrenching self-hatred that such a look caused, instead of ignoring it as he once would have. He had grown so accustomed to hiding his emotions, becoming so good at pretending they didn't exist that, for many years, he truly felt nothing.

When he met Iruka, those hard walls had started to chip, and he had started to feel emotions he thought he had buried a long time ago. Leaning forwards to brush his masked lips against his lover's in a silent apology, Kakashi wondered if there would ever be a day that he did not try to pretend he felt nothing. Looking at his lover, Kakashi knew that, one day, he would be able to embrace and understand all of the emotions Iruka evoked in him.

Naruto couldn't help but watch the two teachers, his cheeks warming as he saw the private exchange between the two. He did not feel the disgust he had been expecting, as he watched his guardian and his old teacher kiss – he was anything but revolted. The teen could only wonder what such a close bond felt like, as he watched all of Iruka's anger disappear, as he leaned his head against his tall lover's shoulder and, for a brief moment, the hardened face of a shinobi disappeared, and Naruto caught a glimpse of the man who was very much in love with his brunet partner.

"Maa…we're going to go home…" Kakashi said softly as he shifted his body, easily lifting Iruka into the air as he stood back up. The chuunin made a few proclamations to be let down, but Kakashi ignored him as he bowed his head in a quick farewell to Jiraiya and Naruto. With a puff of smoke, the odd couple disappeared, leaving Jiraiya slack-jawed and Naruto curious.

_Home_…Naruto repeated to himself, wondering if Kakashi had meant it just as a place, or if he was like all of the people in Jiraiya's novels, and thought of his home as wherever his soul mate was. He hoped it was the latter in his teachers' case. They deserved that happily ever after Jiraiya always wrote about, more than anyone else Naruto knew. Then again, for a brief moment, the blonde recalled a certain Inuzuka teen. The brunet, though he had been gone from Konoha a few weeks, was always in Naruto's thoughts, no matter what the blonde did to try forgetting him. A part of Naruto could not help but wonder if he truly wanted to forget Kiba. His smell, his voice, his strength – Naruto could not help but be reminded of the Inuzuka in every waking moment, and quite a few slumbering ones. Kiba, too, deserved the kind fictional ending Jiraiya created with his pen. And, for a moment, Naruto could not help but be selfish, and want that same kind of ending for himself.

Almost as though his body knew exactly what his traitorous mind was thinking, the blonde involuntarily leaned forwards, as the world around him began darkening, spinning rapidly so the loud, colorful surroundings were just a blur, the noise hushed to a mere echo of what it had once been.

"Naruto…Naruto!"

Though he heard the concern…the fear…in his grandfather's voice, despite the fact the man's voice was distorted to an almost unrecognizable tone, Naruto could not answer. He was unsure if he even opened his mouth, unable to match which nerve and signal would give him such a response. All he was sure of was that he knew he was falling. Naruto never felt his body land heavily on the stained floor that reeked of beer and sweat. He never heard the soft cries of surprise and fear. He did not see the tortured expression on his grandfather's face, nor feel how the man had cradled him with gentle, yet unsure and fearful hands. Almost as soon as he started to fall, the world around him disappeared.

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He slowly became aware of his surroundings. His sense of smell was the first to return; assailing his nostrils was the distinct scent of dampness. Naruto took a deep breath as he cracked open an eye. As he glanced around, he discovered he was unable to see anything. For a moment, he worried that his vision had finally gotten caught in the abysmal vortex the rest of his body was careening towards.

Blinking several times to clear the remnants of unconsciousness from his eyes, the blonde slowly realized that he had no need to worry. It took a few moments for his night vision to kick in, revealing that he was not blind, but was simply in a darkened place that he immediately recognized, more for its unique smell than any visual indicators. Glancing around the dark cage of the Kyuubi, he found himself wondering why her prison had lost that little bit of light that had illuminated it ever so slightly. He had always been able to see her, the bars that contained her, and the slimy walls that she had to call her home. Now, however, he could not clearly make out a single thing with his eyes.

_What's going on?_ The blonde asked as he slowly stood up, his arms outstretched as he tried to find the furred creature, but was surprised to find that she was not near him. If he ever fell asleep in her prison, she was always there, wrapped around him to keep him warm while he slumbered. To realize that she was not even several feet away made the blonde wonder what was happening.

**Don't worry, kit.** Hearing her soft, rumbling voice from somewhere behind him, Naruto spun around, but he couldn't catch sight of her dark fur, nor her glowing red eyes. Walking towards the origin of her achingly familiar voice, he tripped over something on the cold floor. Flying forwards, it was only thanks to his years as a shinobi, that Naruto did not fall on his face. Because of his weakening body, he was just barely able to catch himself, but he felt his limbs twist painfully as his weight crashed down on them.

Biting back the cry that threatened to erupt from his throat, Naruto could only roll over onto his back, clutching his arms to his torso as the pain throbbed down his arms, in time with his slow heartbeat. It was a morbid rhythm in so many ways, reminding the teen that he was no longer himself. His heart no longer raced like it once used to, nor did it pump as strongly as he remembered. Now, he caught himself more than once, checking his own pulse when he was sure the Kyuubi wasn't watching. She was the last person he wanted to be worrying about his health.

**Brat, you should watch where you're going.** Hearing the mothering tone of the demon, Naruto looked up from his aching arms and found his eyes widening as he caught a glimpse of what he had tripped over. With the lack of light, he would never have seen the offending object, but as the creature turned to look at him, Naruto found himself able to see her features clearly. It was as though her very skin glowed with its pale iridescence.

Naruto found himself staring at her in fascination. His blue eyes trailed down her very feminine form, draped in an almost impossibly white material. Never before had he consciously acknowledged attraction towards a woman, but he found himself immediately struck by her ethereal beauty. She had lengthy limbs and a neck that could only be described as graceful. She had fingers that, on any normal person, would have been impossibly long, but on her, they matched the rest of her tall form. She had large, almond-shaped eyes with irises that were the color of honey, a long, straight nose, and lips that somehow only made her even more beautiful. Her skin was as pale as his was tan, accentuating her already fey features. Straight hair brushed down past her bare shoulders, pooling around her on the dark floor which served as a shocking contrast to her silvery locks.

To the teen, all she was missing was a pair of wings with immaculately white feathers, and he would be able to call her an angel. _Who are you?_ Naruto let that thought slip, unable to control himself out of amazement. The heavenly creature actually smiled at him, as though she could hear his thoughts like the Kyuubi could. Her smile was not like his forced ones. It was filled with amusement and perhaps a bit of compassion.

**I was expecting a more dramatic reaction…maybe a dropped jaw.** Naruto acquiesced to that as he heard those words. His mouth hung open as he slowly came to realize that, from that beautiful creature, came the voice of the demon he had inwardly considered his mother for all of these years.

_… Is that _you_, Kyuubi?_ He asked quietly as he inched closer to her, his knees crying out against the harsh abrasiveness of the floor, but he did not care at the moment. Stretching out so he just barely touched the halo of silver framing a face too perfect for words, Naruto was amazed to feel her – to see that she was not some figment brought on by lack of sleep. Her hair was like the softest silk he had ever felt, slipping between his fingers so easily, it was impossible for him to hold onto the strands.

**Yes, it is, kit…**she replied, her tone far softer than Naruto could ever remember hearing. It was as though, with this astonishing transformation, she was no longer the brutish monster she had been, but was now the angelic creature before him.

_How?_ Naruto questioned as he innocently touched her skin, finding that her flesh seared his cold fingertips with their warmth. Trailing a finger down her narrow neck, he could feel her pulse beat beneath her pale skin. It was a slow rhythm, a perfect echo to his own, as though they were connected far deeper than he thought possible. In that moment, he forgot where he was, who the creature sitting in front of him was, and, in many ways, who he himself was. All that mattered was that she was _there._

**Do you remember reading about me years ago…in that scroll you borrowed from Iruka?**She asked softly, her honeyed eyes glancing away in a mixture of shame and regret. Naruto did not have to ask her why she did so; she knew the effect she was having on him. Almost as soon as her eyes tore away from him, Naruto felt the haziness leaving him and, with a few shakes of his head, he found his thoughts clearing enough for him to consider her question.

_How you got your tails, you mean?_ He asked, slowly recalling the aged parchment that he had filched from Iruka. For a moment, he was amazed to realize that it had been nearly three years since that day. It both seemed like an eternity ago that he had read it and, at the same time, it took only the blink of an eye. Glancing down at his hands, Naruto could see the change three years had forced on him. No longer did he have that childhood chubbiness or the even coloring of unscarred skin. Recalling those pages again, he remembered something else. _A shape shifter…it said you could change into a beautiful woman so you could seduce people…_

**That is mostly correct…but this is my natural form…my energy, when I let it, distorts my image…perverts it…until I look like that monster you knew…**she replied softly, making sure not to capture the boy's gaze in her own. **I held on to my hatred for humans…and this form…for so long…I did not want to return to this…but now I have no option…**

At those words, Naruto brought his hands back up to her, touching her bare shoulders. Her skin no longer burned his fingers, but only held noticeable warmth that made his own body shiver in response. Naruto did not have to ask her why she had no choice but to reveal her very human-like form – a body that seemed so delicate, the softest of breezes could break her. He somehow knew that she was no longer the powerful demon he always saw her as. As those golden eyes looked up at him, Naruto became lost in the very human emotions they revealed.

**Melding my chakra…now it is no longer my own…**she said as she brought a hand up to touch the tanned hand resting on her shoulder. For so long, she had wondered what it would feel like, to have Naruto see her for what and who she truly was, to have his callused hands on her unmarred skin. It was not a sexual urge – far from it. She had known the touch of man, having seduced far more than she could count, but she wanted to know acceptance from the one person who had ever meant anything to her. She wanted the blonde, who was once a nuisance, but now a beloved son, to know what she was. She wanted, for once in her life, to know what it felt like to be held by a loved one.

_But you're okay…you're not going to die… _Naruto's words held an edge of questioning, but he forced them to be a statement. He could not imagine going on without her – without her sarcastic banter in the back of his head, without her soft fur to use as a pillow, without her rumbling voice to soothe him after a bad nightmare.

**I will be fine, kit… **she lied seamlessly, knowing that Naruto would not be able to accept the truth. How could she tell him that when she mentioned melding chakra, it was not with him, but with the Inuzuka teen? Much less, how could she tell him that she had done so voluntarily, as a last ditch effort to save her kit? She had no idea if her plan would work, but if there was a chance, she was willing to give her life to save the blonde – to bring back that brightness that he had as a child, to show him that he was not as alone as he thought he was, but most of all, to teach him what it meant to be loved.

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Naruto slowly pulled himself away from the mental recesses he had been in for a number of hours. After the Kyuubi told him she would be fine – though he had the feeling she was hiding something from him – Naruto found hers to be a more comforting presence than when she was the large, intimidating monster. She let him lean against her still, though he could now feel her arms wrap around him loosely. It was not the embrace of a lover, but that of a maternal figure.

Blinking his eyes several times as he looked up at the ceiling, Naruto found himself fondly recalling how the atmosphere between them had been. He had felt comfortable enough to ask her questions – to ask for her opinion on many things. He never once broached the subject of his failing health, but, then again, neither did she. Perhaps it was because he didn't want to destroy the newfound relationship he had with the demon, but he knew that the main reason was that he was afraid. He was afraid for himself, for her…for what was happening to him, for what was out of his control.

She had told him that he should spend more time with Jiraiya – that the old man was just as lost as he was, when trying to fit the knowledge of their shared blood into their teacher-student relationship. She had also mentioned that he should be more open to others. She said people like Iruka and Kakashi truly did care for him, whether or not Naruto believed it.

But, most of all, they talked about Kiba. Never before had Naruto known how much the Kyuubi respected the Inuzuka, not simply as a powerful shinobi, but as a person. She, none too subtly, told Naruto that his subconscious was telling him something with all of his heated dreams about the teen. There was a reason Kiba was plaguing his thoughts, according to the demon. Naruto did not ask her for more clarification, unsure how he would react if someone else put words to the budding emotions he was starting to recognize.

Naruto quickly pulled himself out of his thoughts, when he heard loud voices from the next room over. Slowly sitting up, he momentarily found himself held back by wires and tubes, and he quickly turned off the machinery so he didn't have to listen to the incessant buzzing he knew would result by his next actions. He unwound the thin tubing that encircled his face, blowing a gentle stream of air into his nose. Next came the sticky patches covering his chest, along with a thin layer of skin. Finally, Naruto gently pulled the needle out of the back of his hand, applying pressure before he started bleeding everywhere.

Glancing around at his surroundings, Naruto recognized the small room as one off of Tsunade's main office. She said she needed all of the medical equipment in her office in case of emergencies, but Naruto had never heard of her using the little alcove until now. Sitting up fully, the teen swung his legs over the side. Making the mistake of quickly standing up, Naruto all but flopped back down on the bed, as he felt the world around him begin to spin, though not to the degree it had done earlier.

Sitting with his head between his legs for a moment and hoping the beginning pounding at his temples would diminish, Naruto listened to the loud conversation on the other side of the closed door. The speakers were making no attempt to quiet themselves, so he did not feel like he was spying – they were all but asking him to listen.

"Drinking, Jiraiya!? Have you lost your mind?!"

"Oi, he only had a couple...he can out-drink me most of the time!" Naruto had to nod in agreement with his grandfather's statement. In their journeys, he had tasted alcohol of all kinds and usually drank the old man under the table, thanks to his youth and that he always demanded food with his booze. If Jiraiya was treating, he saw no reason to go easy on the old man, so he tended to order enough food to feed a small army.

"But in his condition!?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at this. Iruka must have some amazing hangover remedy to have such a clear voice now. Not to mention that he was all but screeching, in that high-pitched tone only the teacher could accomplish. Anyone with alcohol in them would be crying at the decibel, which Naruto did silently as he covered his aching ears momentarily.

"He was fine until after you and Kakashi left!" Naruto thanked whatever god existed, that his grandfather did not scream like the brunet. His exclamation was more of a terse statement, his booming voice nowhere near as painful on the teen's ears as Iruka's screams.

"You should have known better!" Surprised to hear Kakashi yell, sure that this would mark the first time he had ever heard his genin teacher raise his voice in anger, Naruto found his headache fading as he focused more on the conversation.

"You sure as hell didn't stop him," Jiraiya pointed out coldly.

"I never thought he was drinking alcohol! He is only fifteen!!" Naruto could not help but wish that, for once, Iruka would stop being the prude he was. Fifteen was under the legal age of drinking, yes, but it was apparently not too young to die for one's village. He had tried that argument on Iruka more than once, in an attempt to extend his curfew, but it had always fallen on deaf ears.

"Stop, both of you!" Naruto raised his eyebrow at Tsunade's tired tone. He had a feeling she was in the other room as well, but he had not heard her speak up until now. "There's no reason to blame Jiraiya for this…the alcohol isn't what did this…"

Her statement brought a lull to the argument, and Naruto could not help but wish he was out there so he could see the gestures, the facial expressions, and the other parts of the conversation that he was missing. If it was not the alcohol that had gotten him to black out, what had?

"We retook his vitals…he must have lied to me a few weeks ago when I took them…" Naruto furrowed his eyebrows, frowning in confusion, when he heard Sakura's voice, filled with pain. Recalling the tests she had performed on him, he could only wonder what kind of ulterior motive she had. He felt his heart drop slightly when he remembered how she had somehow known how his health was failing, how he was tired, cold, numb, and weak. Even then, she had known something was wrong with him.

_But I lied to her…I didn't want anyone to know…_Naruto thought to himself as he looked up at the ceiling, unsure whether he should feel self-hatred for lying to her or betrayal towards her for lying to him. Her reasons, unlike his, had been done for the good of him…she had known he was sick and wanted to know how he was doing. She had the sensitivity to not pry, to not tell him she knew the truth to his face. She let him comfort himself in his lie. For that small concession, Naruto could not thank her enough.

"The estimation was off…" Tsunade all but whispered, but Naruto could still hear her clearly, as though she was right in front of the door, facing him, as she spoke. _Estimation?_ Naruto repeated as his azure gaze focused on the door. He could imagine the Hokage leaning her forehead against the thin piece of wood. She sometimes needed physical support when she was this emotional. Naruto did not see it as a fault in her, but as an incredible strength that she could admit needing help during difficult times.

"There is no way…" Sakura's voice held a dejection that Naruto had never wanted to hear come from his usually cheery, if not slightly bipolar, teammate. "We don't have the time…"

"How can you say that!? You can't give up, Tsunade-sama!" Naruto smirked, a part of him warmed at Iruka's stubbornness. The man might be one of the most intelligent people in the village, but he was as emotional as they came. That was the best part about Iruka; he taught Naruto that emotions were not to be feared or hidden like other shinobi believed. They were to be embraced and lessons learned from them. Closing his eyes for a moment, Naruto wished he had taken Iruka's advice when he was younger. Perhaps he would have been able to tell Sakura his fears if he was able to express himself better.

"He is your grandson too!" Those words, spoken from Jiraiya's lips, were ones that made Naruto freeze. He didn't have to be on the other side of the door to know to whom those words were directed. _My grandmother…_Naruto thought, wishing he could step forwards, touch the woman who had given his father life, the woman who now was apparently giving up on him.

"I know…but we were supposed to have months…he won't last those four months of yours, Kakashi…" Tsunade replied quietly, her words still directed at the door, to the teen within. Hearing her statement, Naruto found the strength to stand, wobbling slightly as he made his way towards the window.

_Four months…I won't last four months…_Naruto repeated to himself as he looked upwards into the night sky. It was a full moon, which he usually enjoyed because it was like another day. Everything was lit up by the almost unholy light, illuminating things in ways that were never visible normally.

Leaning against the thin windowsill, Naruto bowed his head. The knowledge that he was dying did not come as much of a shock. He had somehow known that there had to be some reason he was feeling so strangely, why his body was beginning to fail…why even the Kyuubi was growing weaker by the day. It was the realization that everyone else knew and had lied to him, had purposely hid his own condition from him, which made his heart ache. What gave him the energy to slip out of the window and make his way away from the Hokage Tower, to the only place he could think of, however, was the time they had given him. He now, much like his cartons of soured milk, had an expiration date that not even the Hokage herself could change.

Had he stayed just a moment longer, he would have heard the words that would have certainly secured his fate, but within moments of hearing those few words, Naruto was gone.

Pressing her forehead into the door, unaware of her grandson's absence on the other side, Tsunade let out a sound that was more like the sob she was trying to stifle, than anything else. "I wish he had those four months…if we keep him here under medical supervision…he has a few days at most…"

Hearing the soft gasp, she did not have to turn to know Iruka had already buried his head into his lover's jacket, his shoulders wracked with painful sobs. Kakashi would be doing his best to comfort his lover, hiding his own emotions because he had already seen the death of far too many young people long before their time. He knew their world was an unfair one where, in order to survive, one must become callous to the deaths of others, no matter how untimely they were.

She had a feeling Sakura had bowed her head, having already determined this timeframe herself and, somehow, come to grips with it. Jiraiya was the one person she looked to as she tried to blink tears from her eyes. He was the one person whose reaction she needed to know. All she saw through watery eyes was his barely contained hatred for both himself and her. He had every right to hate her. She took away his chance at fatherhood and now, because of her, he was going to lose his grandson before he truly got a chance to know him.

"Then call Kiba back now…so at least they can spend the last few days together…" Sakura said quietly, destroying the agonizing silence that had enveloped the Hokage's office. Tsuande sighed as she looked back to the door, wondering if she had been right in doing her best to save Naruto – lying to the teen all this time, on the off-chance they found a way to breathe new life into him. She failed him…she took his only chance at happiness in his last few days.

"No…I won't do that to either of them…the Inuzuka clan has already decided Kiba's future…" Tsunade whispered more for herself than for anyone else. She had seen the official papers, recognized the signatures, but she was still blown away by the Inuzuka clan's hasty actions, as well as Hiashi's.

Smiling sadly, she wondered if she would have done the same thing in their positions. Looking at the impending demise of her own family, would she have done anything to make sure Naruto had a family of his own had he had the chance? Would she have even ignored his own feelings, so she could make sure the children Naruto's mother had seen in her visions became a reality? Would she have done what the Inuzuka patriarch saw as necessity to save his beloved child?

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Naruto somehow found the energy to run, ignoring the spinning of his head, the weakness of his legs, and the sluggishness of his entire body. All he knew in that moment was that he needed to run away. He needed to get away from everything, from his grandfather, from his grandmother, from his guardian, from his close friend, and from his genin teacher…they all lied to him in one way or another. But they did it in the name of saving him. They wanted to protect him. For that, Naruto could not muster the hatred he wanted to feel for them.

They had done everything they could to make these past months, when his body finally started failing, ones where he did not worry about his own mortality. They did their best to make them happy, painless days. They couldn't possibly have known he already had the sinking feeling that there was something wrong with him – something that he was too afraid to voice, unable to admit that he was not going to achieve that childish dream of becoming Hokage.

Now that he knew, what would they do? Would they keep lying to him or would they explain what was wrong with him? Would Tsunade come to him, tell him that she was his grandmother, without being pressured by others? As he ran, Naruto thought about his newfound kinship to the woman, but could not help but feel that it was _right_ in some way. When they first met, he had felt some kind of connection to her. Even now, he could feel the steady _thump _of her crystal against his collarbones, reminding him that, in her own way, she had stated her relationship to him a long time ago.

Feeling the pounding of that heavy necklace against his skin matching to the rhythm of his feet on worn paths, Naruto closed his eyes, no longer needing to see ahead of him. He had run this same walkway so many times when his eyes stung with unshed tears, unable to see anything other than the watery, heavily distorted image his eyes produced. He had been young back then, unable to hold back the tears after someone mocked him, hurt him – scarred him until finally those mean-spirited people produced the person he was now.

Now, his eyes were not filled with tears because someone mocked him for being an orphan – no, now they were dry because he had learned through years of pain, that tears were a luxury he could never afford. Tears only resulted in more pain for him, though he was unsure how much more he could possibly hurt when he now knew that he was dying.

Naruto slowly came to a stop as he felt the ground beneath his feet change over from packed dirt, to the soft grass moistened by the night's dew. Finally opening his eyes, the blonde took several steps across the silent practice grounds, his azure gaze shifting around to make sure he was truly alone.

His eyes froze on one spot, however, when he saw a tall figure looking upwards. His back was to the blonde, so Naruto was quite sure that the trespasser had not noticed his presence yet – he called the person such a name because this was always his place to escape to, to hide from the rest of the world and all the pain they caused. No one else was supposed to be here in his sanctuary.

Taking a step towards the figure, Naruto studied him. As his angle of the trespasser changed, a shaft of moonlight illuminated the person, revealing a young man with achingly familiar features. As that face registered in Naruto's mind, he felt a heavy sensation in his chest. A part of the blonde could not help but wonder if this was a dream or a hallucination.

He could not possibly be back in the village, especially right when Naruto finally discovered his impending death. Of course, if anyone knew how much Naruto needed him at this moment, it would be the tall teen. As he slowly turned to look at the blonde, Naruto found himself for a brief moment, staring into the impossibly red color of the Sharingan, but those eyes were quickly replaced by their customary dark shade. Though his face became shadowed as it turned away from the bright shaft of the moonbeam, Naruto could still see the spectrum of emotion run across the older teen's features, as dark eyes studied him for a moment.

Involuntarily taking a step towards him, Naruto was unsure if he was the one who closed the distance between them or if it was the dark-haired teen. All he knew, all he was sure of, was that he had to be closer to him…he had to touch him to make sure he was real and not just a figment of a dying shinobi.

Fingers gently brushed against a scarred cheek, their roughness a startling contrast to his soft skin. The skip of his heart, as Naruto looked up into dark eyes, was certainly proof that he was really there, wasn't it? Or was it the soft pant of breath against his face that told Naruto that this was more than a dream?

Those warm lips were real as they took Naruto's and very human arms wrapped around him with an oxymoronic combination of strength and gentleness. Never before had Naruto felt more secure than when enveloped in those powerful arms. Inhaling the scent he had come to recognize as distinctively his, Naruto was able to pick up the scent of the wet grass, the tang of his sweat, but, most of all, the earthy aroma no one else could boast having.

Naruto deepened their kiss, wanting to know what Jiraiya always talked about, when he said someone was ruled by their passion. If he never got the chance again, he wanted, just once, to be that selfish person and discover what it meant to have a little taste of happily ever after.

"Kiba."

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Authoress: YOSH!! ABOUT FREAKING TIME!!...anyways, sorry for that outburst…but, damn, it has been far too long…so, as everyone could, hopefully tell, next chapter will be almost fully devoted to wonderful, mind-blowing lemony goodness…but for those of you who are not avid readers like me…still keep your eyes peeled…I may just add a bit at the end that everyone needs to read…I'll warn you in my beginning rant as to what I finally decided to do…

B.Z.: ...*sobs* Naruto's going to DIE!!!!!!! Considering the sex part, he'll probably pass out and die right after they....erm....finish... And is this really real? I mean, how did Kiba get back so fast, and without anyone knowing?? DANG IT! I wanted to keep reading!!!! *whines pathetically* I hope your next chapter will be written soon... *super-puppy eyes* And what about his other friends? When will we get to witness their reactions to his soon-to-be-death??

Authoress: Kuku…that's what the rest of the story is for (and don't think we'll be done soon…there's a few surprises ahead!)…and as for Kiba getting back…that's for next time…//drools at images// Yummy… so, please don't forget to review, so I feel inspired to write sooner!!! Until next time, ja ne!!


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Authoress: YOSH! I'm back again! Kukuku…I'm putting off my schoolwork for right now…I have a philosophy paper I have to write…but if I have to argue that virtue and morality are definitely _not_ the same thing for one more minute, I'm gonna go crazy…so…here's to some good, old-fashioned Yaoi!!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Naruto...think of what I could do with it…kukukuku…

**Chapter Fifteen**

Kiba momentarily closed his eyes as he tilted his head back, basking in the moonlight. He doubted anyone else would believe him if he told them he could hear that silvery light. Its sound was a melodic chime, so soft that even he could barely hear it. In many ways, it was similar to the sound right before lightning struck and the heavens open up, pouring out icy rain. He let out a hoarse chuckle as he imagined trying to describe that sound to someone. They would most certainly label him as crazy, but they couldn't possibly appreciate that cosmic sphere like he could. Others in his family enjoyed the moon, but he had never heard of someone saying they did so because of the sound of a full moon.

Though he had been standing there for some time, his body still felt like it was moving, running faster than he had ever thought possible. He could feel that strange sensation - that amazing high feeling - much like when traveling to Suna, but this was slightly different, more controlled in a way. Perhaps it was also because he was calm; no longer did he wonder what had happened to him that made his abilities almost in human and his senses impossibly sharp.

The most marked difference in him was his vision. The world around him was so clear, it was actually blurred. The trees around him were not just the tall trunks and green foliage. As he studied each one, he had seen that they changed as he looked more closely at them. Some seemed to drop their leaves, as they were prone to do in winter. Others seemed to grow before his very eyes. Some even began to fade, disappearing and being replaced by small saplings that, as he watched them, grew into beautiful trees.

He knew if he had ever tried to explain that moment to anyone, they would think him far crazier than if he said he could hear light. A part of him had started to understand what it was he was seeing, having caught a quick glimpse of crimson eyes when he saw his own reflection back in Suna. Recalling what Akamaru had told him – that he had a close bond to Naruto – he was not so surprised when he saw the changes in his features whenever he thought about the future. He couldn't help but remember what Tsunade had told him about Naruto's own mother and her unique gift.

Could it be possible that their bond gave him a similar ability? Opening his eyes and watching as the trees before him lived out their long lives, only to die and be replaced by other plant life, Kiba couldn't think of any other explanation for what he was seeing. For a moment, he wondered what he would see if he looked at another person or himself. Would he see that person age and die or would he be able to see their future life – what they would accomplish, what they could become? It was almost enough of an incentive to find a pool of water and test his theory. A part of him kept him frozen in place, though, because no matter how curious he was, he didn't want to know what his own future held.

As he tilted his head back and closed his eyes again, no longer wanting to watch trees living out their lengthy, but rather boring, existences, Kiba focused on his other heightened senses. Easily, he caught the sound of feet on grass, his nose taking in a familiar smell, but most of all, he could feel a heart pounding and, for a moment, that beat lost its rhythm as those feet stopped, the scent thrusting itself into his nostrils.

He didn't have to turn and look in order to know who had arrived. His senses screamed the newcomer's identity, but Kiba couldn't help but smirk at how good his instincts were. As soon as he had reached the village, he had known to come here, to stand patiently as he tried to reign in his newfound abilities. Taking a deep breath, Kiba opened his eyes again and turned to face the person staring at him with a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

For the briefest of moments, Kiba's vision remained as blurred as it was when he looked at the trees. This time, however, he didn't see the blonde growing up, aging like the trees had. For that prolonged instant, all he could see was a faint figure behind the teen. Though the person stood heads taller than the short shinobi, Kiba recognized the almost unnaturally bright hair, the whiskered cheeks, and those impossibly blue eyes.

Kiba didn't have to study the translucent person to know he wore the unmistakable robes of a village leader, nor did he have to stare closely at the man's chest to know there would be a noticeable scar hidden under thick layers of material. He didn't have to do any of this because he recognized the smirking man as the very same one from his dreams. The only thing Kiba wondered about as he blinked, the vision of the adult disappearing before his very eyes, was why the blonde had no substance to him – why he resembled something akin to a ghost in that Kiba could see straight through him. The Inuzuka didn't have to think about it long – he knew what kind of uncertain future the blonde faced. He felt a bittersweet smile tug at his lips, as he realized that the specter he had seen was just one of the possible futures for the blonde. Unlike the trees around them, the blue-eyed boy's future was hazy.

Taking a step towards the blonde, Kiba found his vision returning to normal, clearing so that he could see the emotions plaguing the boy's face. He didn't need to see tears to know that he was in pain. If the past three years had taught him anything, it was that that façade was so hard to crack that for him to be seeing the barely contained sorrow in those bright blue eyes, something had really gotten to the blonde.

Before Kiba knew what he was doing, he moved towards the shorter shinobi, his arms wrapping around those narrow shoulders, and his lips brushing against the blonde's. A part of him wanted to hold back, to find out what happened to make that mask slip, but any intentions he had of doing so, were lost as he caught his name on those trembling lips.

For a moment, Kiba wondered if his heart had stopped; he was certain he lost the ability to breathe. In the past three years, he had somehow gotten to know the blonde well enough to understand the emotions that filled the blonde's shaky voice. There was most certainly sadness in that one word, but there was also pleading, longing…need. Adding more pressure to the once gentle kiss, Kiba was happy to oblige as he tightened his arms around the blonde, his body so firmly pressed against the smaller teen's, he could map out the muscular frame, feel the soft pounding of the boy's heart against his own strong beat.

"Naruto…" Kiba finally found the strength to whisper the blonde's name, a part of him afraid that he would somehow break the spell, discovering that he was still in his bed back in Suna like all his other dreams, his sheets twisted around him and Hinata shaking him awake because he had been loud enough to pull her from her own slumber.

This time, however, there was no being wrenched from his fantasy; the blonde stayed firmly in place, only shifting for a moment to stand on the tips of his toes, pressing his lips more firmly against Kiba's. A part of the Inuzuka's already hazy mind slowly realized that this was not one of his pathetic dreams, and that the blonde before him was real. His smaller hands brushing against Kiba's chest, his slighter frame fitting perfectly against the Inuzuka's – even the very smell of the blonde screamed that the figure in front of him was real.

Kiba deepened the kiss, hesitantly probing the blonde's mouth with an uncertain tongue. This wasn't like any kiss he had shared with the blonde before; there was a difference in that they both knew what the gentle, hesitant meeting of their tongues would lead to. There were no secrets, no hard feelings, nor anything else to stand between them like the other awkward kisses they had shared.

He couldn't do anything but etch to memory the hitched gasp for breath he heard come from Naruto, as he gently grazed his teeth against the boy's lower lip. The Inuzuka felt the blonde open his mouth slightly at his ministrations, his own tongue tentatively darting out from between swelling lips to curiously brush against Kiba's. Though Naruto's actions were hardly seductive, Kiba felt what little self-control he possessed drain away, as a delicious shiver went down his back.

Grasping for whatever restraint he could, Kiba pulled back slightly. He knew his own strength – his own lust – and what he could unconsciously do if he lost the little bit of willpower he clung to so desperately. Recalling how Naruto had once teased him, nearly throwing him over the edge without even touching him, Kiba wondered if he could ever hope to control himself enough to keep from hurting Naruto if they became lovers.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, almost as soon as he felt Kiba pull away. Replaying their brief kiss in his head, he couldn't recall doing anything that wasn't described in detail in his grandfather's books, so he was sure he hadn't done anything incorrectly. What came out of Kiba's mouth, however, was something that he never would have expected.

"I'm not sure if I can do this," Kiba admitted quietly as he leaned forwards, resting his forehead on the top of the shorter shinobi's head. Letting out a soft sigh, he added, "I don't want to hurt you, Naruto…"

Naruto blinked several times in surprise, his eyes focusing on the older teen's chest. For the first time, he realized that Kiba was not dressed in his customary outfit, but a lighter set of clothing that would have been more appropriate in Suna than in Konoha with its colder climate. Bringing a hand up to touch the sand-colored material, Naruto felt that the material was almost impossibly thin, allowing him to feel the slight shiver that went through the Inuzuka brought on by the blonde's gentle touch. Realizing that Kiba must have just recently returned from Suna, Naruto couldn't help but wonder why he had come back – or why he was at the training grounds at such an odd hour.

Stepping back so he could look up into Kiba's face, Naruto searched the teen's tattooed features, smiling slightly when he found what he was looking for. "You couldn't hurt me, Kiba," he replied as he brought a hand up to touch one of the brunet's marked cheeks, his thumb brushing along the red triangle. Had he not seen the concern in Kiba's eyes, he would have been surprised at the tenderness the young man showed as he pressed his cheek into Naruto's hand.

Whatever Kiba felt for him, it went far beyond a teenager's hormones and, realizing that, Naruto felt a strange sensation in his chest. He didn't put words to the pressure and clenching feeling that made his very body ache – a part of him was still unsure about his emotions, but the rest of the blonde was unable to admit that he was even capable of feeling such things. He couldn't help but wonder if he were to tell Kiba, what would the Inuzuka say? Would Kiba brush it off as nothing or would he smirk in that way only the brunet was capable of? Dare Naruto hope that Kiba even felt the same for him? Naruto quickly shook such a romantic thought out of his mind.

_I am dying… _Naruto reminded himself as he looked up into the Inuzuka's dark eyes. He didn't want Kiba to know how much he cared when he only had a short while left. It would be better for both of them if Kiba never knew the truth. Shifting his hand down to circle the back of the brunet's neck, Naruto pulled the older shinobi's face down, pressing their lips firmly together. In a way, he was daring Kiba to try getting out of what was to come.

Recalling his three years under his grandfather's tutelage, Naruto gently nipped at the older teen's lower lip, sucking on that soft skin until he felt the Inuzuka slowly give in. Not only did he feel how Kiba's body around him changed, tightening, though at the same time, relaxing ever so slightly, but he could also hear the softest of groans escape the brunet's lips. Almost as soon as that arousing sound registered in the blonde's ears, he found himself being lifted up into the air by strong arms around his narrow hips, giving him a slight height advantage over Kiba. Unconsciously wrapping his legs around Kiba's middle, Naruto settled into his new position over the handsome teen and attacked those lips with enthusiasm.

Naruto nearly lost his train of thought when he felt Kiba's hands shift from his sides down beneath his posterior, cradling him gently, but at the same time, shifting his hips so that he was being pressed against a very noticeable hardness. Unable to keep a straight face, the blonde smirked against the Inuzuka's lips, feeling that Kiba was mirroring his expression as moistened lips moved against his skin.

Recalling every smut novel he had read over the years, Naruto licked his way along those smirking lips until he felt Kiba's mouth open up just enough to slip his tongue out and, for a tantalizing moment, caress the blonde's tongue. A delicious shiver went down the teen's back at that soft, but sadly brief moment of contact and he couldn't stop himself from following Kiba's retreating tongue.

Somehow, Kiba found the patience and self-restraint to let Naruto's curious tongue probe his mouth, tasting him in ways he had never imagined. He had never before had such a surge of animalistic lust as when he felt Naruto questioningly touch his tongue to his, his movements darting and unsure. Had it not been for the little bit of sanity he clung to, Kiba would have seriously considered throwing the little blonde onto the ground and fulfilling all of his nocturnal fantasies in one glorious act.

Instead, Kiba settled for letting the boy kiss him hesitantly, slowly deepening their kiss as he started getting used to the feel of Kiba's tongue against his own. After several moments of an amazing display of willpower, Kiba started to participate in the inexperienced kiss, slowly dominating it as he shifted his hands again. Easily able to hold Naruto's small frame up with one well-placed hand underneath the blonde, Kiba's other hand came up to run along the boy's well-toned back, finally circling his thin neck and holding the blonde's head still, as he explored the blonde's mouth at a tortuously slow pace. Kiba considered it revenge for teasing him moments before.

Tilting his head as he further deepened their kiss, Kiba could not only hear the blonde let out a sound that made warmth pool in his lower body, but he could feel it as well, as Naruto's chest tightened and those small, yet powerful, fingers wove into his hair. If he had to put a name to the huff of air he swallowed, refusing to break their kiss, he would call it a mix between a gasp and a wanton moan. It was far better than anything he had imagined in his dreams.

Those romance novels he had read over the years were nothing like this, the blonde realized, as he felt Kiba hoist him up a little higher with his inhuman strength, craning his neck back to keep from ending their impassioned kiss. Naruto, for the first time in his life, regretted not listening to Jiraiya when the old man was discussing technique – the term his grandfather used when he wanted to give Naruto his version of the 'birds and the bees.'

Over the two and a half years they spent together, Naruto had wondered time and again if other teens had similar, highly detailed, and entirely unwanted lessons that they did their best to ignore or erase as soon as the conversation was over. Now, however, he could only wish he had listened to at least one of those lectures. If he had, perhaps he would have had the necessary words to describe the almost burning sensation that was enveloping his entire body, making him lightheaded, but at the same time, intensely aware of the contact between Kiba and himself. His very skin felt like it was on fire wherever their bodies touched, sending shivers down his back that made him want to press even closer to the Inuzuka, which he happily did as he tightened his fingers in the brunet's thick hair, clinging to Kiba for dear life as the older teen finally broke their kiss, his lips quickly relocating to Naruto's jaw.

Gently grazing his teeth along the blonde's well-defined jaw line, Kiba was quick to discover that Naruto was quite sensitive if the soft whimpers that the boy was unable to contain were any indicator. Smirking against tan flesh, Kiba dropped his head down and traced the soft pulse in the teen's neck with his tongue. Finally reaching the teen's collar bone, Kiba unhurriedly traced his way along the base of the blonde's neck, this time stopping to suck on bronze skin until it turned an impressive rosy shade.

"K-Kiba…" Naruto's voice was a mere whisper; he was no longer able to take a deep enough breath to achieve anything other than the almost inaudible sound he made, as he tilted his head back, giving Kiba's hungry mouth more access to his tingling neck.

Kiba was nearly undone by that soft plea; his member twitched at the need in Naruto's voice and all Kiba could do, to keep himself from toppling over the edge of his sanity, was bite down on already abused flesh. His teeth sunk into the tightly corded muscle between Naruto's neck and shoulder and, almost immediately, Kiba could taste the metallic tang of blood. For a brief moment, a part of the Inuzuka reveled in the taste of that warm liquid that was slowly oozing out of several puncture wounds.

Naruto let out a cry, somehow able to get enough breath to make such a sound, as he jerked back, not out of pain or disgust, but surprise. In all actuality, the blonde enjoyed that sharp sting for some unexplainable reason. Perhaps it was because he knew Kiba had, for a moment, lost a bit of his self-control, or maybe it was from knowing that the mark would most certainly remain for some time. Whatever the reason was, he couldn't stop himself from whimpering as Kiba gently licked the small circle of depressions, his tongue apologetic in its deft, yet tender, movements while the brunet quickly removed all traces of blood from Naruto's tan skin.

Though the wound didn't immediately heal, the bleeding quickly stopped under Kiba's ministrations. Neither teen made mention of the unhealed state of the bite mark, either because they didn't notice, or didn't care. Instead, Kiba lifted his head off of the junction between the blonde's neck and shoulder, and gently kissed his way back up to Naruto's parted lips.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean-"

"Don't apologize, Dog Breath," Naruto quickly retorted with a sigh. He somehow knew that Kiba hadn't purposely bitten him and, even if he ever did so, he would never mean to break the skin nor make Naruto bleed. It was simply an accident and, having seen how Kiba nearly lost control over his animalistic nature once before, Naruto knew that this was a minor injury in comparison to what Kiba was capable of, and should consider himself lucky that all he suffered was one (literal) love bite.

Seeing Kiba's dark eyes, easily reading the emotion in them, Naruto growled softly before attacking the older teen's lips. If he read those emotions correctly, Kiba was reconsidering their actions and Naruto refused to let that happen. In case he never got the chance again, he wanted to be selfish for just one night and find out what it was like to have a lover – to make love to someone he, begrudgingly, admitted he cared for if only to himself.

Kiba stumbled back a step in surprise at Naruto's quick forgiveness, as well as his passionate kiss, though he still kept a firm hold on the blonde. If anything, Kiba tightened his arms around the teen, pressing Naruto even more firmly against his chest as he happily returned the kiss. This kiss, unlike their previous one, was not a slow, curiosity-driven act; it was intense, searing every nerve in the brunet as Kiba fought the smaller shinobi for dominance. It was a fierce mating of tongues, of sharpened teeth raking along tongues and lips, but it was also quickly spiraling into something more than just a kiss.

Naruto untangled his fingers from Kiba's eternally mussed hair, relocating them on the brunet's shoulders, his chest – anywhere he could reach, clutching the older teen's muscular frame, raking nails along his well-defined back. Pressing his hips down into Kiba's, Naruto felt a hardness rivaling his own. Almost as soon as he felt Kiba's arousal, he heard the softest of groans come from the Inuzuka, before Kiba's hips bucked against his own, losing whatever control Kiba once had over them.

Somehow, against all logic, Kiba managed to break their kiss long enough to mumble a quick jutsu under his breath, already forming in his mind the place he desperately needed to be. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the older teen's actions, but quickly understood when he felt the unique and slightly disconcerting feeling of a transportation jutsu. Closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to see the scenery whirling by, Naruto let his lips return to the Inuzuka's face, kissing his way along the dark tattoos, but knowing not to distract the brunet unless he wanted to end up in some random place because he had broken Kiba's concentration.

Kiba didn't dare to breathe until the world around him and the teen in his arms righted itself, the dark room around them slowly coming into focus. Naruto cracked open an eye and, immediately recognizing the sparsely furnished room, couldn't help but blush as his eyes settled on the bed pressed against the room's window.

"K-Kiba…" Naruto didn't know what to say to the older teen who, now that his attention was no longer needed to perform a transportation jutsu, resumed his earlier actions and began littering the blonde's neck in pink marks. For a moment, Naruto looked down at the chuunin whose powerful, but gentle, grip held him up. If the older teen put him down, Naruto was certain his knees would buckle and he would embarrass himself by ending up on the floor. Somehow knowing what Naruto was trying to say, though the blonde had no idea of it himself, Kiba took several slow steps backwards, recalling the room's layout with surprising accuracy, since the only thing he stumbled into was the edge of the bed.

Sitting down on the mattress, Kiba shifted his grip on Naruto so that the blonde straddled his waist, his arousal pressing into Kiba's abdomen. Now free to use his hands, Kiba slowly began removing the thin shirt that the blonde was wearing. As he slid the threadbare material up, he couldn't stop his wandering fingers from brushing against the taught skin that quivered under his every touch.

Naruto involuntarily leaned into the chuunin, pressing their bodies even closer together, silently begging Kiba not to stop his torturously slow examination of his torso. Finally, the Inuzuka pulled the shirt over Naruto's head, throwing it to the side of the bed once the material had cleared the blonde's arms.

Looking at the half-naked teen on his lap, Kiba's breath hitched. Unable to do anything else, he traced the boy's exposed skin in awe. His fingers slid along muscles that were well-defined, but not as bulky as his own were. No, Naruto's body may be lean, but he was in no way weak. Those muscles spoke of a strength that came from years of training and dedication and, as Kiba slid one of his sharp nails along the boy's side, he was fascinated with watching the younger shinobi's body ripple in response. Recognizing the teen's reaction for what it was, Kiba gave a predatory smile as he continued to examine the blonde's satiny skin, his fingers leaving goose bumps and a searing desire in their wake.

Naruto never thought that such seemingly innocent touches could be so positively arousing, but he couldn't deny that the brunet's hands on his bare skin was the most pleasurable thing he had ever experienced. Blinking several times in hopes of clearing his lust-clouded mind slightly, the blonde returned the gentle touches, inching his fingers underneath Kiba's uniform.

Unaccustomed to the Suna garb, it took Naruto several moments filled with fumbling before he was able to undo the knotted sash at Kiba's waist. Flinging the strip of material to the side, he went back to his inspection of the brunet under him. With a devilish smirk, Naruto slid his fingers under the thin, pale cloth, his fingertips coming in contact with one of the parts of his Konoha uniform that Kiba couldn't rid himself of.

The feel of the mesh against solid muscle was an interesting contrast to the blonde as Naruto ran his fingers along the netting, slowly pulling it up Kiba's torso along with the loosely-fitting tunic that hid his god-like body from view. The blonde didn't have to say a word as he finally tugged the clothing up to Kiba's shoulders, keeping his eyes trained on the chuunin's. Naruto knew that if he looked down at the older teen's exposed skin, he would be lost.

All but tearing his own shirt in an attempt to get the material off of his body, Kiba cursed softly. A part of him regretted ever touching Naruto so slowly and gently. The blonde had returned the favor and those few moments seemed to last an eternity, creating a delicious hell where all Kiba could do was revel in the feeling of Naruto's fingertips curiously running across his skin.

As soon as Kiba got the damnable cloth off of himself, the only thing he could do was wrap his arms around the blonde in his lap, pulling Naruto flush against his body. Shivering as the blonde's bare chest touched his, Kiba brought his hands up the younger teen's back, etching the defined muscles into his memory.

Naruto gasped softly as Kiba's wandering hands forced him to press firmly against the brunet, feeling the teen's warm flesh against his own. It wasn't simply the feel of the older shinobi's soft skin, but the astonishing heat that radiated off of him, warming Naruto far more than the blonde ever thought possible. Momentarily forgetting why he was staring into Kiba's dark eyes, filled with a hunger that made the blonde tremble, Naruto glanced down and regretted it instantly.

Unable to tear his azure gaze away from the older teen's torso, Naruto brought a hand up to touch the skin pressed against his own, which was a noticeable contrast to his deeply bronzed tone. Whereas he would be considered tan due to sun exposure, Naruto could only describe Kiba's darkened color as a natural olive shade that the teen's face had never hinted at. Perhaps it had been due to the large marks stretched across his cheeks, along with his ability to cover up nearly every inch of his skin, but Naruto would have never believed Kiba to have such a gorgeous coloring. Running his fingers along the muscle in Kiba's upper arm that reminded Naruto of carved statues he had seen on his journey with his grandfather, the blonde wondered if those sculptors had had Kiba in mind when they chiseled those forms out of stone.

A tremor went down Kiba's back as he stared at Naruto, unable to tear his gaze away from the boy as he studied every inch of Kiba's bare skin. There was no fear in the blonde's eyes, though Kiba knew that Naruto should have reason to be afraid. The only thing Kiba could do to keep himself from throwing Naruto to the bed, was tighten his hands into fists, forcing air to rush between clenched teeth as he attempted to ignore his animalistic urges. As pleasurable as it would be for him, Kiba knew that he couldn't move quickly if he didn't want to scare Naruto away. He also knew the kind of damage he could do to the emotionally-fragile blonde if he became the brute he so wanted to be at that moment.

"Nngh…Naruto, if you keep that up, I'm not going to be able to control myself," Kiba hissed through his teeth, his breath coming out in rapid gasps as he finally closed his eyes, bowing his head to rest it on the blonde's shoulder. Feeling the boy finally remove his hands from his sensitive skin, Kiba found the strength to look back up into the blonde's face and instantly regretted it. He hadn't believed anything could be worse than watching Naruto stare at his bare torso in awe, but he was horribly wrong. The vibrant blush that colored scarred cheeks, added to the lust and surprise, was almost too much for Kiba to handle. Groaning, he wove his fingers into the boy's golden locks and pulled his tan face down to crush their lips together, hungrily pillaging the younger teen's mouth.

Naruto couldn't swallow the moan that erupted from his throat, as Kiba kissed him relentlessly. Without breaking their kiss, one of the Inuzuka's hands slid out of his hair and, for a moment, Naruto whimpered at the loss of his forceful grip and that searing heat. The blonde quickly forgave the chuunin when he felt Kiba's hand relocate in an otherwise untouched area of his body. Naruto lost the very ability to breathe when that amazingly warm hand slipped between their bodies, sharpened nails tracing along Naruto's erection. The thin layers of material separating them did little to lessen the jolt of mind-numbing pleasure that raced through Naruto as he involuntarily jerked his hips.

Kiba's other hand, with impressive speed, moved to firmly grip Naruto's narrow hips, making the blonde unable to shift anymore. Naruto only had to wonder about the brunet's actions for a moment; it was impossible not to feel the hardness pressing firmly against his thigh, most certainly leaving a bruise. The blonde could have sworn he had felt rock softer than the older teen's arousal.

Breaking their kiss, Kiba let out a soft growl of warning. "Do that again and I promise you won't be able to sit for a week." Naruto felt the scarlet creep up his cheeks and neck at that statement or, more specifically, the seriousness in Kiba's tone, mixed with a need unlike anything Naruto had ever heard before.

"Y-you were the one t-t-touching me," Naruto retorted weakly, his voice hitching as Kiba's fingers continued their gentle ministrations, driving the blonde to insanity because there was no way he could move to press his erection into Kiba's grip. Naruto felt a smirk coming to his face as he let his hands travel along Kiba's bare back, his fingertips trailing down the dip of his spine. Finally reaching material, coarse and cold in comparison to the chuunin's skin, Naruto slid his fingers around hips, his nails scraping taut skin. Before he had even gotten a chance to put his hormone-driven plot into motion, Naruto heard a second growl rumble from Kiba's throat that made him rethink his plan of similarly torturing the brunet despite Kiba's warning.

"I want you, Naruto," Kiba stated as clearly as he could, though his tongue felt thick and clumsy in his mouth as he tried to think of anything other than the blonde in his lap, deliciously pressing his thigh against Kiba's member and hovering his hands over the Inuzuka's lower body. Just the close proximity of Naruto's fingers was enough to make Kiba tremble in ecstasy.

Naruto blinked a few times, amazed to hear Kiba's words, filled with such need and desire that not even he could ignore or misconstrue the emotion behind them. No one had ever wanted him before – in any meaning of the word, not just in a sexual sense. Unable to control his face, Naruto felt the barest of smiles grace his lips as he decided he enjoyed the feeling of being wanted by someone else.

Kiba caught a glimpse of the smile on Naruto's face and, for a second, he swore his heart skipped a beat. In that one brief moment, Naruto was far more beautiful than Kiba thought possible. Bowing his head, the Inuzuka pressed his lips against the tightly corded muscle of the blonde's shoulder, waiting for Naruto to say something. Despite the passion he had seen cloud Naruto's impossibly blue eyes, a part of the chuunin was certain that Naruto would tell him he had changed his mind. If that happened, Kiba would do his best to respect the blonde's decision, but he knew he would be cursing the whole time.

Naruto chuckled softly, understanding why Kiba had stopped all of his previous actions, but, either consciously or not, he kept his fingers on Naruto's throbbing member. "I'm yours," he whispered into the brunet's hair, his nose taking in the delicious aroma of the outdoors that was unique to Kiba. For a moment, he had to bite back a snort as he recalled that one of his grandfather's characters had said those same words to her lover when asked a variation of the same question, though it had been far more explicit than Kiba's euphemism.

For a moment, those words didn't register in Kiba's mind, the teen unable to believe his amazing stroke of luck. As soon as their meaning hit him, Kiba groaned, his lips devouring the bare skin of Naruto's shoulder and neck, working his way up to the blonde's open mouth. Loosening his grip on Naruto's hip, Kiba couldn't help but growl when the blonde immediately bucked his hips as soon as he was released.

Naruto was given no warning before the brunet flipped them over, throwing the younger teen down onto the bed. Careful not to crush the blonde beneath him with his weight, Kiba balanced himself on one side, using his free hand to continue tracing the outline of Naruto's member at a torturously slow pace. The teen whimpered as Kiba shifted the position of his fingers, letting the tips of his fingers run along the hardness instead of just his nails.

"What…the hell…did I do to y-you!?" Naruto squirmed as he protested Kiba's tormenting ministrations. Those fingers, much like their owner, teased him, firmly circling the tip of his member as Kiba smirked devilishly. Against all logic, Naruto couldn't help but inwardly admit that he immensely enjoyed the chuunin's touches, no matter how aggravating the Inuzuka was being at the moment.

"Nothing," Kiba finally replied with a chuckle, his dark gaze studying Naruto's face as he flattened his hand against the blonde's erection, his fingers curling around the hardened flesh as much as Naruto's pants would allow. Glancing down momentarily at the offending material, Kiba raised an eyebrow before looking back up at the blonde. A part of him still believed that, any minute, Naruto would stop him, but a larger side of the Inuzuka had the feeling that, even if the blonde didn't do so, Naruto would most certainly be the shy man Kiba had dreamed about. It was dark enough in the room that Kiba could just barely see Naruto, any visibility was thanks to the pale moonlight that shone through the window, but would that keep the blonde from being embarrassed if he stripped him?

Deciding to test his theory, Kiba released his hold on Naruto's member, letting his fingers trail upwards until they found a waistband that was already slipping dangerously low on narrow hips. Studying Naruto's face, Kiba could see the boy's cheeks become inflamed as his fingers slipped underneath the material, brushing against smooth skin and coarse hair.

Naruto all but squeaked as Kiba's hand inched even lower, brushing against the base of his member. As the Inuzuka's hand wrapped tightly around him, the blonde had to bite his lip to hold back the scream bubbling up in his throat. He had thought that the heat when their bare chests touched was unbearable; this, by far, was a much more searing temperature. For a moment, Naruto wondered if he would be burned by such warmth, but at the same time, not willing to lose that heat surrounding him that slowly moved up and down as pressure was added to the touch.

Watching the blonde crane his head backwards, his back arching ever so slightly as his hips rose to meet Kiba's slow rhythm, Kiba felt a new wave of desire hit him. Not even in his best dreams did Naruto ever look so positively seductive. Seeing the teen's pink tongue dart out, wetting parted lips, Kiba groaned as he shifted, putting some of his weight on the blonde as he captured Naruto's moist lips in a passionate kiss.

As he kissed the blonde, Kiba tightened his grip around Naruto's member, speeding up his pace until the blonde could no longer return the kiss, reduced to soft gasps and moans that Kiba happily swallowed as he traced every inch of the boy's mouth.

"K-Kiba," Naruto whimpered into Kiba's mouth as the Inuzuka slid his thumb across the tip of his erection, spreading the bead of moisture in small circles that only served to make the blonde nearly cry out in pleasure. "Please…"

Kiba's own arousal twitched in anticipation when he heard Naruto's soft pleading. Shifting his body as he pulled his lips away from the blonde's, Kiba moved off of the bed, regretfully removing his hand from Naruto's throbbing erection. In response to the loss of Kiba's hand, Naruto let out a soft whimper which caught in his throat as he watched Kiba deftly remove both of their sandals, throwing the shoes backwards. Wincing when he heard one of the footwear hit the wall, Naruto could only wonder if Kiba had accidentally just put a hole in the thin building material, but that thought quickly flew from his head when he realized Kiba's hands had relocated to his hips.

Naruto, unable to do much more than watch Kiba with a mixture of curiosity and desire, lifted his hips slightly when the chuunin began sliding his pants down, taking his boxers with them. If he wasn't so blinded by his growing need, Naruto was certain that he would be mortified as his tattered pants were pulled off of his hips, revealing his erection to the cool air and Kiba's hungry gaze.

As Kiba turned away to throw Naruto's pants in the same general direction of the rest of their clothes, the blonde regained the ability to feel embarrassment and, with a speed that even surprised Naruto, flew underneath the thin sheets that covered the bed. By the time Kiba turned back, the Inuzuka found himself staring at the blonde who was clutching the sheets to his chest for dear life, while still somehow modestly covering his entire lower body.

Kiba couldn't help but raise an eyebrow; apparently his dreams were correct in one respect. Feeling Naruto's gaze on him, Kiba slowly removed his own pants. Unlike the blonde, Kiba felt no shame in his nude body, but his heart raced at the realization that _Naruto_ would be the one to see him naked. It was certainly not the same when someone in his family, Hinata, or another friend saw him in the buff.

Turning back to face Naruto, Kiba shivered in pleasure as Naruto's gaze raked over him, those blonde eyes searing Kiba's bare skin. It took no more than one long stride to return to the edge of the bed. Slipping underneath the sheets, knowing to respect Naruto's shyness, Kiba stretched himself out next to the blonde teen still huddled against the wall.

"If you don't want to do this, Naruto..." Kiba said softly while inwardly cursing up a storm. The brunet felt no anger towards the blonde – far from it – but berated himself because he must have done something to scare Naruto away. Perhaps he had been moving too quickly or Naruto wasn't ready and he had misread the blonde's earlier words?

"No, I do…" Naruto all but whispered, as he loosened his death grip on the sheets, lowering them down to his waist. Glancing down at the crumpled sheets for a moment, the blonde took a steadying breath. As he looked back up at Kiba, now mere inches away from him, Naruto felt that moment of fear return. He had first felt so when he had gotten his first glimpse of the chuunin's entire body, seeing the rippling muscles bunch together in strength Naruto knew he could never acquire.

He wasn't afraid of Kiba. Naruto somehow knew that, despite that predatory glint to Kiba's eyes and his animalistic behaviors, Kiba would never hurt him purposely. His fear was more for the future. Seeing Kiba, the almost painfully beautiful chuunin, without a stitch of clothing had made Naruto realize how much he paled in comparison. Even now, looking down at his own body, Naruto could see how much the definition in his muscles had diminished from what it once was. He could see the scars that marred his body, while Kiba was perfect in every sense of the term. A part of the blonde was afraid to find out what the future would bring. What would happen if Kiba regretted tonight? What would he say if Naruto told him that he was dying? What if, dare Naruto even consider the thought, Kiba ended up developing feelings for him? Was it fair to lead Kiba on as though they could have a future together?

"What's wrong?" Kiba asked quietly as he leaned over to the blonde, gently brushing the back of his fingers against Naruto's bare arm. The blonde's gaze focused back on him and, for a moment, Kiba's heart thudded in his chest as Naruto's eyes met his. There was something in those eyes that gave the Inuzuka reason to hope that those dreams where Naruto loved him back were a possibility.

"Nothing," Naruto replied as he studied Kiba's face, seeing the glimmer of concern in eyes that were still clouded with desire. The blonde couldn't help but smile slightly at Kiba's worry over him. The feeling was horribly misplaced in Naruto's mind – Kiba shouldn't fret over him. Naruto, feeling a wave of selfishness coming on, slid closer to the chuunin and, deciding that he would rather have a few months with Kiba as his lover than the rest of his life without knowing that kind of intimacy, Naruto pressed himself against Kiba's lounging form. Lowering his lips to the brunet's chest, Naruto gingerly kissed the teen's warm skin, already coated in a thin layer of salty sweat that Naruto quickly found addictive, as he licked his way across the older teen's muscular chest.

Kiba all but whimpered, unable to do anything else, as he reveled in the feeling of Naruto leaning over him, his tongue and lips leaving a cool trail of moisture across his torso. Weaving his fingers into the teen's golden locks, Kiba tightened his grip until he was just barely pulling at the blonde's hair, forcing Naruto to move his ministrations up Kiba's neck and to his mouth. Hungrily returning the smaller teen's kisses, which tasted salty compared to earlier, Kiba slipped his arms around the blonde, easily pulling Naruto fully on top of him so that the blonde straddled him. Feeling those powerful thighs against his sides, the blonde's weight pressing down into his hips, Kiba groaned softly.

He thought it was hell before to just have Naruto's hands on his bare skin, but, glancing down between them and seeing how much of Naruto's dark skin was in contact with his own, Kiba swallowed heavily. Either purposely or unconsciously, the blonde pressed his hips against Kiba's, grinding their bodies together in a torturous dance that made the Inuzuka curse under his breath.

Running his hands down Naruto's back, cupping the boy's muscular behind when he finally reached it, Kiba pulled Naruto's smaller frame up his torso until the blonde was sitting on his abdomen where he wouldn't be so much of a distraction, but Kiba refused to break their kiss. Sliding one hand around the teen's body to grip the hardness pressing into his chest, Kiba let his other hand drift down between the blonde's separated legs.

Naruto let out a squeak when he felt Kiba's fingers press against his entrance, but he quickly forgot about the placement of the chuunin's fingers when he felt the teen's other hand stroke him. Unable to help himself, Naruto bit down on the brunet's lower lip to keep himself from crying out as Kiba's fingers slid along his length, sending jolts of pleasure up the boy's spine.

Apologetically licking Kiba's offended lip where he could taste a strong metallic tang, Naruto found himself amazed with his own response as the older teen continued his assault on Naruto's lower body. Arching his back as Kiba's pace picked up, not giving the blonde a chance to catch his breath as his body was wracked with wave upon wave of pleasure, Naruto was sure he would embarrass himself by crying out. And cry out he did, but Naruto was too far gone in this newfound world of indescribable pleasure to feel any mortification at his vocalization.

Naruto all but screamed when the first finger entered him, sending a new level of pleasure arcing up his body. In response, he pressed his hips back into Kiba's hand, impaling himself further on the teen's finger. Sure that he was killing off brain cells with such amazing sensations, Naruto lost the very ability to think when Kiba replaced his one finger with two, slowly stretching him in ways Naruto never imagined were possible.

Kiba very nearly lost his last shred of self-control when he felt Naruto begin to rock his body against his fingers, muffled whimpers replacing that one scream, but the sounds still made Kiba wonder what would come out of Naruto when he was inside the blonde. The very thought made Kiba's lower body warm in anticipation.

Tightening his grip on Naruto's cock, thoroughly enjoying the satin skin against the rough calluses on his hand, Kiba scissored the fingers that were inside the teen, stretching him as much as possible. As he continued to prepare the boy straddling him, Kiba concentrated so heavily on the blonde above him that he didn't realize that Naruto's hands were inching down his body until the teen grasped Kiba's member, hesitantly touching him with uncertain hands.

Kiba raised an eyebrow as he looked at the blonde and his attempt at reaching the Inuzuka's erection by stretching an arm back as far as he could to grip the hard flesh. The brunet moaned softly, his hips involuntarily bucking at the gentle touch. Wordlessly, Naruto slid back down Kiba's torso until he was straddling the older teen's hips, his hand being replaced by an entirely different pressure.

Looking into Naruto's eyes, Kiba could clearly see the uncertainty in those blue eyes, but something in the blonde's face told him that it wasn't uncertainty about their being together, but that he, much like Kiba, had never done anything like this before and was unsure how to continue. Shifting both of his hands to grasp the blonde's hips, Kiba slowly lowered the teen down.

Naruto jerked upwards slightly at the sensation of something very different from Kiba's fingers beginning to enter him. Glancing down at the chuunin, Naruto saw Kiba narrow his gaze for a moment, but that was quickly replaced by a smoldering look that scorched the blonde to the very bone. Finally understanding what his grandfather meant by being taken away by one's passions and lust, Naruto could only wonder if Kiba was in control of himself any longer, or if he had lost that little bit of humanity that he had clung to the last time Naruto had teased him.

Kiba all but snarled when Naruto stop moving downwards to study him. Closing his eyes to slowly count, Kiba had to remind himself why he didn't want to hurt the boy on top of him – and why he had moved Naruto to be on top in the first place. At the moment, he couldn't recall if it was a conscious decision on his part, but he knew that the small blonde was currently straddling him because somewhere in the recesses of the chuunin's lust-fogged mind, he wanted Naruto to be the one to set their pace. He knew that, if the boy was underneath him, his legs deliciously spread to let Kiba slide between them, the Inuzuka would most certainly lose himself to those carnal sensations he knew would sweep away the last of his humanity.

Swallowing heavily, Naruto continued pressing his hips down, chanting a mantra that his grandfather had all but bashed into his head during one of the man's discussions on technique. _Relax, relax… _he inwardly whispered, but he couldn't stop his body from tensing up at the unusual intrusion that, the blonde had to admit to himself, was uncomfortable.

Kiba felt the last of his sanity begin to flee as Naruto's body tightened around him, sending a shock of indescribable sensations through the chuunin's body. The teen forced himself to keep his hands off the blonde, instead clawing the mattress underneath them because he knew that, if he touched the boy, he would pull him down until every inch of him was buried inside the small shinobi.

Slowly growing accustomed to the feel of Kiba's member stretching him, Naruto kept moving. Even more gradual than his descent, the teen found it easier to move downwards, his body finally relaxing around the chuunin. Kiba bit back a whimper as Naruto continued to slide down him, incasing his throbbing erection in tight warmth that nearly undid the brunet.

Finally trusting himself to open his eyes and still keep his last bit of self-control, Kiba grazed his eyes over the blonde and couldn't help but groan at the image before him. He knew that, if the shy teen straddling him had any idea how delicious he looked at that moment, the resulting blush would make him resemble a tomato – but what a sexy, very edible bit of fruit he would be.

Kiba could feel the whisper of material against his legs, but Naruto seemed to have forgotten about his modesty in his desire. All he could do was stare at the gloriously naked blonde, his gaze raking over that tanned flesh shimmering with a light layer of sweat. He watched in rapt fascination as Naruto continued to press his hips downwards until the Inuzuka filled him completely. Any and every remnant of intelligent thought fled from Kiba's mind as his senses reeled at the combination of being fully inside the blonde, and watching the boy bite his lip to keep himself from crying out in pleasure, instead craning his head back and arching his back.

Amazed at his own self-control, Kiba rewarded himself by releasing his death grip on the bed, sure he had left claw marks, and letting his fingers glide across the sheets until they brushed against the muscular calves pressed against his sides. Feeling the light sprinkling of soft hair that was all but invisible against such bronze skin, Kiba trailed his fingers up those legs, tracing the trembling muscles in the boy's thighs before finally reaching his slender hips.

Finding in himself a restraint he never believed himself capable of, Kiba wrapped his hands around the boy's hips, lifting him upwards as he slowly pressed his own hips into the mattress. Momentarily losing that amazing sensation of being fully sheathed by the blonde, Kiba kept his hands on the boy's hips, his claws digging into a beautifully sculpted behind, but didn't pull Naruto back down on him as he desperately wanted. Instead, Kiba merely guided the smaller boy as Naruto impaled himself on Kiba's erection, his body no longer tight enough to make the act uncomfortable and difficult.

Kiba nearly lost himself when he heard Naruto let out a gasp, the blonde arching his back, closing his eyes as his body trembled. Smirking, the Inuzuka guessed Naruto had just found a very sensitive area inside himself. Unable to help himself, Kiba thrust his hips upwards, hitting that spot again with a great deal more force. This time, there was no gasp, but an outright cry as Naruto's entire body tightened.

Letting one hand leave the boy's slim hips, Kiba began tracing the underneath of the younger teen's erection, causing Naruto to whimper as his hips bucked involuntarily, which sent a jolt of indescribable pleasure through both teens. Wrapping his fingers around the blonde's member, Kiba slid his grip along the hardened flesh in time with Naruto's slow and uneven pace.

Kiba couldn't keep himself from tightening his grip around the blonde, as Naruto finally found an even rhythm that nearly made the chuunin regret ever promising himself that he wouldn't hurt Naruto, if he could help it. In that moment, all Kiba wanted to do was flip the boy over and pound into him, his ears catching every whimper and gasp that left the teen's parted lips, his hands stroking Naruto until the blonde came all over him, his entire body trembling deliciously which would make Kiba climax, filling the smaller shinobi with his seed.

Just the thought of what he _could_ do made Kiba growl, as he lifted his own hips to meet the blonde's gradually increasing pace. "K-Kiba!" When he heard Naruto form syllables that were filled with such desire and lust, Kiba gladly threw his self-control out the proverbial window. Somehow still able to keep himself buried in the small teen, Kiba flipped over, dragging Naruto underneath him.

Releasing the blonde's now weeping erection, Kiba took hold of the boy's thighs, spreading his legs as far he could before releasing the urges he had fought so hard to control. Nearly pulling himself out of the blonde completely, Kiba raised his gaze to meet the blonde's clouded eyes before thrusting back into him, burying himself far deeper inside the teen than either boy thought possible. Kiba could only clench his teeth together to keep himself from crying out as his body trembled, every inch of him being wracked with pleasure that lit his very flesh on fire.

Feeling Naruto's muscular thighs wrap around his middle, hooking his ankles at the small of the chuunin's back, Kiba felt a wave of thrilling sensations wash over him. Unable to control his body any longer, Kiba let his instincts take over as he pounded into the small boy.

Naruto let out a soft cry as he tried to meet Kiba's fast pace, but the feel of the teen filling him, was sending such pleasure throughout Naruto's body that it bordered on pain. Tightening his legs around the chuunin was the only thing the blonde could do other than whimper as, with each powerful thrust, Kiba sent a new blinding jolt of ecstasy up Naruto's back.

After so many months of dream-filled nights, Naruto recognized the pooling warmth in his lower body and let out a soft moan as he grabbed for the chuunin, his nails digging into Kiba's tightly corded arms, which were clutching his hips with such strength, there would certainly be marks later. "K-Kiba…I-I'm…." Naruto couldn't get the words out, his face flushing slightly as the older teen understood his choked statement.

Groaning at Naruto's words, Kiba bowed his head as he sped up his rhythm, feeling his own climax racing towards him. Kiba moved one hand to grasp the blonde's member, eliciting a gasp mixed with a whimper from the boy, as he matched his hand with his own body's pace.

Unable to keep himself quiet, Naruto all but screamed as he climaxed, which washed him in such mind-blowing pleasure, the blonde was no longer aware of anything other than the burning heat racing through his body and the hardness slamming into him, giving Naruto a heightened pleasure that he never thought possible.

Kiba couldn't hold on any longer when Naruto's body clenched around him, and he saw the teen crane his head back and arch his back, and heard the soft shriek that erupted from the boy's mouth as his climax hit him. Feeling Naruto's member throb as warm liquid coated both of their torsos and Kiba's hand, the brunet came explosively with what could only be described as a roar. Riding wave after wave of pleasure, Kiba filled his small lover with his seed, groaning as he continued to rock his hips against the blonde's until the last jolt of pleasure finally started ebbing away.

Opening his eyes – unsure when he had even closed them – Kiba looked down at the blonde and saw an expression of sheer awe on the boy's face. The Inuzuka had to chuckle at that look, knowing that if he'd had the strength left in him, he would have told the blonde that he was "very welcome," but Kiba couldn't hope to even form words at the moment. Feeling his arms give out, his muscles no longer able to do anything other than quiver from the afterglow of their lovemaking, Kiba collapsed on his lover.

Trying to scrounge up the strength to move off of Naruto so he wouldn't crush the smaller shinobi under his weight, Kiba could only let out a huff of air that came out more like a groan than anything else. Resting his head on the blonde's shoulder, it took Kiba several moments to work up enough strength to pull out of his lover and slip to the panting boy's side.

Naruto almost unconsciously curled up beside Kiba, resting his head on the older teen's muscular chest, twining their legs together as he snuggled up against the Inuzuka. Kiba felt his lips quirk up in a smile at Naruto's actions and, somehow regaining the ability to move his arms, he wrapped one around his lover while he grabbed for the sheets with the other, finally loosening them from their knotted state enough to pull the material over his and Naruto's lower bodies. He swore that, for a moment, he felt Naruto's lips smile against his chest.

Taking a deep breath, Kiba worked his tongue back and forth in his mouth as he tried to determine the best way to tell the blonde his feelings. Finally deciding that he should be straightforward with the boy, Kiba opened his mouth. "Naruto… I-I should have told you this before…but I love you…"

When he didn't hear the snort that he had been expecting to come out of Naruto at such a declaration, Kiba glanced down, and realized that the blonde hadn't had any reaction at all to his announcement. Almost immediately upon seeing the blonde's flushed face, strands of golden hair clinging to his damp head, Kiba understood why Naruto hadn't given him a response.

Gently brushing a wet tendril of hair away from the blonde's forehead, Kiba studied the teen's closed eyes and listened to his soft pants, which told the Inuzuka that Naruto was already sleeping. Bowing his head as he brushed his lips against the boy's forehead, Kiba felt a wave of protectiveness and tenderness hit him.

Having had the past few months to work out his feelings for Naruto – waiting for that blinding realization that he loved the boy to dissipate – Kiba was still amazed at how those same emotions now floored him, as he watched the younger teen sleep peacefully in his arms. Even the other day, when he had told Hinata that he couldn't wait in Suna any longer, his feelings for Naruto hadn't been so powerful. His entire race back to Konoha did little to lessen that need to be here in the boy's arms, feeling his warm breath against his chest, his soft hair teasingly brushing against Kiba's nose, but he had never thought that his very heart would ache as he held the boy's slumbering body.

Unable to bring himself to wake Naruto up when he looked so comfortable and serene, Kiba instead smiled and whispered into the blonde's hair, "I guess I'll tell you how much I love you in the morning."

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Authoress: now…if that is not a lemon, I don't know what is…//dies a happy Yaoi fanatic// Anyways, this lemony goodness is dedicated to my wonderful beta team for dealing with me and all of my insanity while still somehow fixing my countless mistakes and helping make all those random ideas of mine into the stories they are! //glomps all of her betas// They are such amazing people!!

B.Z.: Well, you still have an issue with run-on sentences, but other than that, it was a great chapter. I feel honored that this was dedicated to me (as well as the other BETAs). I'm really anxious about the next chapter though, since that's the one where Naruto's health will (supposedly) take a huge turn for the worst. Though I'm surprised that his heart didn't give out DURING the sex. Anyway... Is it strange to say that I'm excited?

Authoress: Nope! I think we're all excited for the ending that is almost here! Now, for everyone, I'd like to ask a _huge_ favor…**please review and tell me how you think this story should end!!** ** I have many ideas in mind, but it is all of you who will influence the ending! **I'd like to hear what you think should happen to Naruto and Kiba. Next chapter, I will begin tallying the votes and make my final decision as to the ending (or if it would be better to write alternate endings), so please, please, please tell me how you want the story to end!! So, now that I have shamelessly begged for reviews, thank you all for reading and, until next time, ja ne!!


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Authoress: Yosh! I'm back already with the next installment of Revealing A Kitsune!! I hope everyone enjoys the chapter!

Disclaimer: it's so depressing when I have to admit I don't own Naruto…

**Chapter Sixteen**

Snuggling into the warmth surrounding him, Naruto was reluctant to wake up, but knew that he would be unable to go back to sleep now that he was half-awake. A few years ago, he would have returned to blissful unconsciousness with no problem, but his growing insomnia was enough to make the boy sigh softly. Unable to recall when he had fallen asleep in the first place, Naruto could only guess that he had slept for an hour or two, something that had quickly become the norm for him since returning to Konoha.

Letting out a sigh, he realized he should have known something was wrong with his health when he had become unable to sleep through the night without taking some sort of substance, be it alcohol or drugs. Of course, the few times he had broken down and gotten sleeping pills, he had been desperate enough to deal with the side effects. After the first time his grandfather asked if he was alright, Naruto did his best to hide the wooziness and blurred vision so the man wouldn't realize he was taking so many pills, he could no longer recognize when he was asleep or awake. Of course, he had forgone those pills since returning to Konoha. For reasons he couldn't fully explain, he didn't want the people he knew to see him in such a state - most of all those like Iruka and Sakura with their uncanny ability to know what he was thinking and feeling. Even if it meant going days without a single minute's rest, he refused to let them see him like that.

Naruto cracked an eye open and glanced around his room with disdain. The small apartment, as usual, was a wreck. The teen could see the clothes were scattered across the floor, but a blonde eyebrow rose when Naruto noticed several pale articles of clothing that were most certainly not his. Almost as soon as he saw the two hitai-ate, both of Konoha shinobi, thrown on top of one pile of clothing, the previous night came racing back to the blonde, momentarily making the world around him spin as his jaw dropped.

Turning his gaze back to the unusual source of warmth against him, his mouth still gaping open in surprise at his own actions, Naruto's blue eyes met a muscular chest that his head must have been resting on. Almost flying out of the bed, Naruto jerked up into a sitting position and instantly regretted his quick movements.

Wincing as the soreness in his behind hit him, Naruto could only stare down at the chuunin sleeping in his bed with a touch of amazement and more than enough mortification, as his eyes trailed over the older teen's nude body. Seeing evidence of their heated night together in the red spots littering the slumbering teen's neck and chest, as well as the dried substance across his muscular abdomen, Naruto felt his face warm up. Even in his best dreams, he never thought that the young man, who even when sleeping, could be so downright sexy. Inching closer to the unconscious brunet, he couldn't help but run a finger against the teen's slightly swollen lower lip, recalling that he had bit Kiba there the night before.

Sitting back on his heels, Naruto studied Kiba's body, finding not a single thing on the teen other than a necklace around his marked neck, but Kiba didn't seem to mind that he was completely nude and under Naruto's close inspection. Studying the necklace, Naruto recalled hearing the distinct chink of metal hitting metal as Kiba thrust into him, but at that time, Naruto's attention was far from the two flattened disks of metal that now rested between Kiba's collar bones.

Lifting one of the pieces of metal off of the teen's chest, Naruto could see that the two elongated strips, rounded at their corners, were identical even down to the etchings in them. On one side, Kiba's full name was neatly engraved and, as Naruto gently turned over the warm metal in his hands, he found that on the other side was a simple symbol that Naruto could only guess was the Inuzuka clan's crest. The mark looked much like the tattoos on Kiba's face, though longer and curved towards the bottom, making the symbol look more like a fang than anything else.

For a moment, Naruto held the tag in his hand, trying to imagine what it would be like to come from a clan that obviously cared for its members. Sighing to himself, he recalled that he did have his own sort of family. There were Iruka and, in some ways, Kakashi playing the roles of the father-figures Naruto desperately needed. Then he had his grandparents who had finally revealed themselves to him. Closing his eyes, Naruto tried to feel any kind of hatred towards his grandmother for hiding from him so long, but he couldn't hate Tsunade any more than he could hate Jiraiya, Kakashi or Iruka. Those four people, whether or not Naruto would ever admit it to anyone, were four of the most important people in his life. Before last night, Naruto would have said that he would give his life for only four people, but he had to now reluctantly admit that number was truthfully five. Gently placing the metal back down on Kiba's chest, Naruto slid from the bed.

Quickly throwing on clean clothes that he grabbed from a half-opened drawer, Naruto tried to figure out how Kiba had wormed his way past carefully constructed walls that had never failed to protect the blonde before. With no more than a thought, he posed the question to the Kyuubi, who had been uncommonly – and thankfully – silent throughout his night with Kiba.

** Love works in mysterious ways**, the Kyuubi quoted softly as Naruto closed his eyes, not wanting to give the leering monster the chance to see his nude lover. His lover…that was a thought that made Naruto freeze mid-step, the demon's implications lost to him as he forgot about his momentary attempt to shield Kiba from the Kyuubi's sight, and outright stared at the sleeping teen.

_My lover… _Naruto repeated more for his benefit than anything else. The thought that the young man in his bed was no longer an annoying comrade or even a friend, but someone who was tied to the blonde both physically, mentally, and, in many ways, emotionally, was one that made Naruto momentarily breathless.

It was beyond belief that Kiba would have even spent last night with Naruto, knowing who and what he was. Not only did Kiba give his body to the container of the Kyuubi, but he had slept through the entire night next to Naruto. Momentarily glancing out the window and seeing the rising sun despite the overcast skies, Naruto realized it was indeed an entire night that Kiba had slept by his side. The young man wasn't afraid of what Naruto could do to him while sleeping - in that one seemingly innocent action that would have been considered normal to anyone else, Kiba had shown how much he trusted Naruto.

Naruto quickly pulled back the traitorous hand that yearned to reach out and touch the sleeping chuunin. Studying the brunet for a moment, Naruto slowly realized that it wasn't only Kiba that had slept through the night. It had been so long that he couldn't remember the last time he had actually had slept though an entire night without tossing and turning, then waking up every few minutes. The smallest of smiles came to his face as Naruto realized that it had been the first time in a long time that he hadn't had a single nightmare, or woken up with his heart racing and his entire body in agony. For once, he actually felt _normal_. His body felt warmer than it had in years, his flesh no longer numb, but most of all, his heart wasn't pounding at a frightening speed.

Taking a shaky breath, Naruto returned to his outfit, slipping on shoes and throwing on his jacket before taking one last look at Kiba. As Naruto silently left the apartment, he was unsure of the reason behind his actions. A part of him desperately wanted to go back into his room, throw his clothes off and curl up next to that warm body. Another side would have liked to wake Kiba up and see if the Inuzuka could make him feel such passion again. He left, however, because the boy needed to do some soul searching.

He had admitted, both to himself and the Kyuubi, his budding feelings for Kiba, so that wasn't what made Naruto start walking the familiar route towards the practice grounds. Hearing his soft footsteps on the nearly empty streets, Naruto closed his eyes as he tilted his head back, inhaling through his nose and catching the distinct scent of rain.

_I wonder if Kiba likes the rain, like us,_ Naruto thought as he continued to walk, trying to picture the Inuzuka during a downpour. Would he be the person who ran for cover or who stood out in the open, becoming drenched but smiling the whole time? People like Sasuke and Sakura would most certainly get out of the rain – the very image of the Uchiha soaking wet was a ridiculous one that got Naruto to snort. Then there were people like Kakashi who thought like him. His old sensei would be the kind of person who would, more than likely, stand in the most open spot he could find, uncaringly brushing wet strands of hair away from his face.

**He loves the smell of it… **the Kyuubi stated knowingly. She didn't want to say for certain if Kiba would be just as happy to watch it rain from a sheltered place, or be out there with Naruto, but in either case, as long as the Inuzuka could smell the droplets of rain, she had the feeling he would be perfectly content.

_I can see that… _Naruto agreed as he took another sniff of the air, deciding that he enjoyed the clean, slightly charged scent that came to his nose. Returning to his earlier thoughts, Naruto couldn't help but wonder what he had been thinking last night.

He could admit that he and Kiba had a friendship borne out of years as rivals in the academy, but what about now that they had gotten older? Kiba no longer saw him as the chronically happy child everyone had thought him to be, just like Naruto could never look at Kiba as the slow, temperamental runt he had been as a pre-genin. They had both grown up and become the young adults they were meant to be.

That thought made Naruto smirk. Kiba would most certainly grow into a great shinobi whose unique abilities would be a great addition to their village, but Naruto knew his own future could never be so hopeful. _Less than four months… _he thought to himself, knowing the Kyuubi could still hear him. What could a fifteen year old do with his last remaining months? Naruto knew he wouldn't go off and make a list of every little thing he had ever dreamed of doing… months would never be enough time to do most of what he had wanted to achieve. He would need years to accomplish all of his goals so he could die without regrets.

Those few months didn't seem like long enough, if he wanted to get to know both of his grandparents as more than the legendary shinobi they were – to recognize them as family. Would it be enough time to repair his relationship with Sasuke – to bring his best friend back from that hell he was trapped in? Or would he even have the chance to prove he wasn't the monster everyone perceived him to be?

Naruto took a deep breath as he realized what his remaining few months meant. He would never become a chuunin like Kiba. He would never even have the chance of attaining jounin status, much less have the time to prove himself worthy of the Hokage title.

He wouldn't even live long enough to read his grandfather's next novel, which was due to come out in six months. He wouldn't have the chance to perfect his Rasengan. He would never be able to hold Iruka to their long-standing tradition of a night of endless ramen at Ichiraku's for his birthday, all paid for by the teacher.

_I will never see my sixteenth birthday… _Naruto whispered to the Kyuubi. Just two days ago, he thought he would be able to look forward to his birthday in a little over four months, but now he wouldn't live to see it. Opening his eyes, Naruto glanced over at the ramen stand, closed at this early morning hour, wondering if he would even eat there again. He had the feeling that, once Tsunade found him, she would have him eating healthy, nutritious foods as he was hooked up to machine after machine – put through test after test – as they tried to save him.

Was that the kind of life he wanted for rest of his short, doomed existence? Naruto shook his head, knowing that he would have to work up the courage to refuse his grandmother's treatments. Even Sakura said that there was no way to save him, no matter what they did, so why should he put himself through all of that? If it gave him a few days or weeks, what did it really matter when Naruto would live every day wondering if that one was his last?

Feeling a strange sensation prick at his eyes, Naruto blinked several times, his gaze becoming blurred. Wiping at his face with the backs of his hands, Naruto felt the warm liquid seeping out of his eyes. It had been so long since he had granted himself the luxury of tears that it had taken Naruto several moments to recognize that he was crying.

Taking several deep breaths in an attempt to steady himself, Naruto forced his eyes to dry, quickly erasing any wetness from his face before someone saw him crying. As he tried to calm down, Naruto went back to thinking about the brunet currently sleeping in his bed.

What did his last few months mean for his relationship with Kiba? Did Kiba, like everyone else important in his life, already know that he was dying? If not, would Kiba even want to know or would he rather live in ignorance for a few months of mutual pleasure? Naruto sighed, wondering if he should continue this relationship with Kiba when he knew his life was ending soon. Was it fair to Kiba to remain lovers when there was no chance at a future together? When, in less than four months, Naruto would die and Kiba would be left alone? Naruto knew that kind of loneliness far too well and would do anything to save Kiba from ever experiencing it.

Against all odds, Naruto had somehow developed feelings for the chuunin, though they had so little time together. They had none of those shared, life-altering experiences that Jiraiya and his readers seemed to love so. They weren't the closest of friends who developed feelings for one another over the years. No, his feelings for Kiba snuck up on him, blindsiding him when he returned from his journey with Jiraiya.

Smirking, Naruto knew that wasn't entirely true. He recalled that even before he and Jiraiya had left, he had, for some reason he couldn't explain, wanted to prove himself to Kiba, so he had given the brunet the blade he had cut himself with for so long. It was to show Kiba that he was going to change – that he was going to become the great shinobi he always dreamed of becoming. And now, those dreams and promises were for nothing.

Glancing down at his hands, Naruto wondered how Kiba had somehow gotten to know him better than anyone else. Not even his grandfather or Iruka could boast being so close to him. No matter how much he cared for the two men, he always held them at a distance, a part of him sure that they would somehow harm him one day. Kiba was the only person that had slipped past his defenses, had all but forced Naruto to reveal himself and, despite the monster Naruto knew himself to be, Kiba still seemed to like him.

_Remember that scroll we borrowed from Iruka?_ Naruto asked, knowing the Kyuubi knew what he was talking about, since she had brought up that same scroll yesterday when they had been discussing her radical change in forms. The demon, who still had that delicate tone that came from the beautiful woman, grumbled affirmatively, so Naruto continued. _The myth said that to see you for what you truly were, a person would have to look at your reflection…_

**And dogs force me back into my true form… your point?** She asked, having a feeling where Naruto was taking his line of questioning. She didn't want to admit he was right, but at the same time, there was no way to lie to him about this one little myth that happened to be painfully true.

_I'm not exactly you and Kiba isn't really a dog, but for the sake of argument, we are both close enough to the myth. Is that why I had no choice in showing him who I truly was… why he was able to see through my façade?_

**That myth might have something to do with it, but not entirely. A good part of that was that you needed someone… that he was perfect for you… **She replied with a sigh, wishing she could tell her container how she might have pushed the boys towards one another a little bit, but she knew that Naruto would hate her for meddling in his life. Her instincts were never wrong and she knew that, given time, they would have developed those feelings for one another, but she also knew that Naruto didn't have that kind of time. It wasn't even moments after the first time she had laid eyes on the brunet after nearly three years that she decided he was the one who could save her kit from himself.

_Perfect, huh?_ Naruto questioned as he relived his night with Kiba. The only way he could possibly describe that would most certainly be perfect. It was perfection to wake up next to the young man, feel Kiba's arms wrapped around him, the heat of his skin radiating off of him, warming Naruto more than he thought possible. Recalling that, Naruto stopped walking, knowing what he would do with his last few months.

Spinning around, Naruto was so eager to return to his apartment, wake up the young chuunin and make love to him until he forgot about his own mortality, that he slammed into someone. Backing up several steps, rubbing his aching nose that had collided with a muscular chest, Naruto focused his gaze on the person.

"Oh, sorry, I should have looked where I was… going…" Naruto trailed off quietly as he looked up into the man's face. He had never met the stern-looking adult face to face, but Naruto immediately knew who he was. Had his hair not been heavily streaked with silver, but the dark chestnut that it still hinted at, Naruto would have recognized him from the academy, when everyone else's families came to boast about their children while Naruto was left alone.

Even without those few glimpses of the man over the years, Naruto would have still known who he was. There was no way he couldn't recognize the olive skin, those narrowed eyes, much less the distinctive tattoos that the blonde could clearly see as he took a hesitant step backwards. Sometimes the phrase "like father, like son" was painfully true. Despite his apparent age, Naruto could tell the man was quite powerful and a force to be reckoned with. The only thing the blonde was left to wonder about was why the man was glaring at him with such unchecked hatred.

"Uzumaki Naruto," the man said softly, his voice deep, rumbling, and filled with a level of abhorrence that not even Naruto had ever come in contact with before. Naruto's eyes widened as he took a few more steps backwards, to distance himself from the older shinobi.

"I-I'm sorry about bumping into you, Inuzuka-sama…" Naruto moved back another couple of steps when the patriarch of the Inuzuka clan – Kiba's own father – gracefully moved towards him. For a moment, Naruto wondered why he was backing up when he had already apologized twice to the man. Stopping and bravely taking a step towards the Inuzuka, Naruto stared him down until the man spoke.

"I am sure you had your thoughts on other things," the man said curtly as he narrowed his gaze. Naruto was close enough now that he could see the man's nostrils flair as he took a deep breath. Remembering the Inuzuka's inhuman sense of smell, Naruto inwardly cursed, hoping that his scent didn't tell the man exactly what he and Kiba had done last night. It was one thing to be with Kiba, another thing entirely to be confronted by the brunet's father the morning after. Naruto's hopes were dashed at the older brunet's next words. "More than likely thinking about my heir who you have bedded, no doubt."

"Heh…" Naruto now rightfully took a step backwards as he felt his cheeks flush, wondering just how much the older man could tell from his scent. Would he know that Kiba was still blissfully asleep back at Naruto's apartment? Or could he possibly tell that Naruto, just moments ago, had every intention of repeating last night's events and to hell with the consequences? Running into Kiba's father, however, had quickly quashed that moment of passion. Now, Naruto could only stare at the man in embarrassment, somehow never realizing Kiba's importance in his own family before. Kiba never acted like anything more than the average child, so why would Naruto have ever thought he was the heir to such a powerful clan? Looking back at it now, however, it was painfully obvious.

"I will only tell you this once, Uzumaki, so you best listen to me," the Inuzuka patriarch said slowly. "Stay away from my son. I don't know what you did to get Kiba to sleep with you last night, but I feel you should be aware another act of adultery will most certainly result in revocation of your shinobi status."

Naruto blinked several times, trying to understand what the man had just said. Though he had heard Kiba's father perfectly and was well aware that shinobi caught in the act of adultery did lose their rank, though were more often temporarily demoted unless powerful families were involved, it made no sense to the blonde as he raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, but I'm not married," was the only intelligent thing Naruto could come up with as he studied the older shinobi.

"But Kiba is."

The blonde outright gaped as the meaning of those three small words finally hit him. Taking a step backwards, not out of intimidation but shock, his sandaled feet slipping on the muddy ground, Naruto shook his head in disbelief. "No he isn't… he can't be." Biting his lip, the blonde stared at the Inuzuka, unable to believe Kiba could have possibly forgotten to inform him about such a thing before they made love.

"I can assure you, he is. The wedding was held several days ago… Hiashi will not be happy to know that my heir was bedding you instead of his daughter," the man stated calmly, the truthfulness of his tone sending Naruto reeling. The rest of the patriarch's words were dulled in comparison to Naruto's pounding heart beat as he continued to shake his head in disbelief, but there was nothing the blonde could do to keep himself from hearing what the man had to say. "As an heir, Kiba understands his primary responsibility to his family. I'm sure whatever he told you to get you into bed was a lie driven by hormones, so you shouldn't judge him too harshly."

"N-no, you're wrong…" Naruto refused to believe the man. Having the feeling the brunet was about to pat him on the shoulder in some kind of comforting gesture, Naruto wrenched himself backwards, glaring at the man indignantly, as if daring the shinobi to pity him. As he ran through last night in his head, however, he found that Kiba made no mention of his marriage – no hint, nor any outright statement.

He also didn't once tell Naruto that he had any feelings for him, so the blonde didn't know why he should feel so betrayed now. He and Kiba had made no promises – they hadn't needed to be faithful and trust one another, but Naruto had unconsciously done so. Still shaking his head at the Inuzuka, he could only wish Kiba had done the same. He had been deceived by many, but this was the first time he had been done so by someone he had wholly trusted.

As he stepped backwards, turning on his heel, Naruto wished that he had been as on-guard around Kiba as he was with everyone else. Perhaps then he wouldn't have to experience what it felt like to have his heart broken by the only person he had ever truly loved.

Finally putting words to his feelings for Kiba, Naruto couldn't help but be amazed at the depth of his emotions for the brunet. That amazement quickly died away as he realized Kiba could never feel the same way about him. Kiba hadn't even trusted him enough to tell him he had a wife. Naruto all but fled, but it wasn't Kiba's father Naruto was running from. His legs were carrying him as far as possible from the only person he had been naïve enough to love.

Clutching at his chest right above his heart, his grandmother's crystal digging into his palm, Naruto wondered if his grandfather had ever known what it felt like to have his heart broken. The descriptions in his romance novels were depressing and painful, but Naruto had never once read about a response like his.

As he kept running, his eyes blinded by unchecked tears, Naruto could only wonder if heartache resulted in numb limbs that were becoming sluggish as he stumbled on wet grass. Faltering, Naruto blinked several times as he realized the coldness surrounding him was in part due to the rain that was cascading down on top of him, which had at some point begun falling. For once, however, Naruto found no pleasure in the storm.

Naruto dared not even ask the Kyuubi if it was normal to feel as though his heart was literally breaking, tearing apart as it failingly tried to beat, but its rhythm was gone, leaving the muscle to quiver uncontrollably in a self-destructive spiral that, at the moment, Naruto had no urge to save himself from. If he had to describe it, Naruto would have sworn he was dying.

**Kit!** The Kyuubi's voice was faint, as though she was at a distance, but Naruto knew that to be impossible. Opening his eyes, Naruto looked at the clearing around him, recognizing it as the same one that he had met Kiba in last night. He couldn't help but wonder if it would be better to die now instead of dealing with nearly four months of agony.

Naruto felt his body weakening and found himself falling to the ground, a hand still clutching at his aching chest. As he landed on his knees, his vision darkening, Naruto could only make out one thought that got his lips to turn upwards in a smile.

_At least I get to die while it's raining…_

--

Mumbling softly, the brunet turned on his side, reaching out for the comforting weight that had moved from his chest and shoulder. Discovering that he was the only person on the bed, the teen cracked open an eye and glanced around the room only to see that he was indeed alone. Sitting up as he raked a hand through his eternally messy hair, Kiba looked around, only to see that there was no sign of his small lover anywhere.

As he took a sniff of the air, Kiba quickly surmised that Naruto had left the apartment only a short while ago. It couldn't have been longer than that, since the boy's unique scent still lingered on Kiba's bare skin. Moving to get dressed, his nose scrunching up as he realized his clothes were horribly dirty from his speedy trip to Konoha, Kiba tried to shake the feeling that he should have clung to Naruto when the boy left.

He had most certainly been awake when the small blonde had finally woken up, but Kiba had somehow known that Naruto wasn't ready to talk to him – not just yet. So he had feigned sleep in order for Naruto to think about whatever it was that was obviously plaguing his mind. As soon as he slipped on his tunic, Kiba's fingers grazed across the necklace that Naruto had touched so gently right before leaving.

Kiba had every intention of going back to sleep, which he had done for a few minutes, but he was woken back up. This time, it wasn't from Naruto's movements, but from a sense of dread. Something was wrong, though Kiba's instincts couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was that was making his heart pound, as he slipped his shoes on.

All he knew was that he had to find Naruto.

Cursing softly to himself, Kiba flew out of the apartment, stretching his senses outwards to figure out what direction his lover had gone. Even if Naruto was perfectly fine, having only left to sort out his feelings and thoughts, and Kiba's concerned interruption only resulted in annoying the blonde, the Inuzuka couldn't help but follow the boy's scent that was clinging to the air.

Feeling a cold drop hit his face, Kiba glanced up just in time to see the sheet of water pouring down, accompanied by a clap of thunder. Refusing to slow down, not even for the rain, the chuunin kept running so that he wouldn't lose Naruto's scent.

The thing that made him stop, his feet skidding in the fresh mud, was the achingly familiar scent of another person. Almost as soon as that smell hit his nose, Kiba caught a glimpse of the tall man walking towards him purposely.

"How dare you, Kiba." His father's words, more of a hiss than anything Kiba had ever heard come from him before, were ones that made Kiba take a step backwards as his father came to stand directly before him. "You are the Inuzuka heir and yet you are off sleeping with that boy!"

"I lo-"

"Do not say such things!" His father cut him off quickly, not wanting to hear what his son's feelings were for the blonde teen who was threatening to destroy his family. "It's just your hormones and nothing else."

Kiba glanced down at his hands as he thought about his father's words. He'd had the same argument with himself countless times, but even now, facing the one man he had always wanted to prove himself to, he knew he couldn't back down. He knew what was in his heart and, no matter what, he wasn't willing to give that up. Straightening his back, proudly looking his father in the eye, Kiba finally spoke, "I love Naruto. If he will have me, I'm willing to spend my life with him, and if you cannot accept that…" Kiba trailed off as he saw the change in his father's features. There was the Inuzuka stubbornness shining through, but there was also something else that made Kiba's fingers go up to clutch the metal tags around his neck.

"You knew about Hiashi and my arrangement. There's no way you can be with him," his father pointed out, his words soft and almost pleading. Kiba had to smile sadly at that realization. It wasn't simply his future they were talking about, but the demise of their entire clan. It all hinged on Kiba's decision – on his heart.

"I didn't agree to anything," Kiba replied coldly, feeling that sense of dread increase as he looked into his father's eyes and saw something that made his very blood run cold. Taking a whiff of the air around his father, Kiba narrowed his gaze. "You spoke to Naruto… What did you tell him?"

"That you cannot be together," his father started out, but even before the words had fully left his lips, Kiba was already brushing past him. Reaching out to grab his son's elbow, the older Inuzuka stared at his son, who whirled around to look at him with anger and hatred. "You were married to Hanabi through proxy a few days ago." At those words, Kiba's gaze was no longer fiery, but blackened with emotions that forced his father a step backwards as he released his grip on his only son. "It was to save our clan."

"No," Kiba said softly as he gripped the warm metal in a tight fist; those same two strips of metal that had been with him since birth, now dug into his palm, slicing his calloused skin open as he studied his father. "You did it to save _your_ clan." With that, he tugged on the necklace, easily breaking the thin chain that had been around his neck for so many years. Throwing the tags on the ground in disgust, Kiba turned to leave, his instincts screaming to find Naruto before his father's poisonous words did too much damage. "I'm no longer your son."

Even before the two metal tags hit the streams of mud, Kiba was gone, his legs carrying him as fast as they could towards the one place he was certain Naruto would have gone to. As he ran, Kiba refused to close his eyes, angry tears sliding unchecked down his cheeks.

As far as he knew, he could be the first Inuzuka to renounce the clan – he was definitely the only heir who had done so. The darkness clutching his heart, the slow realization that he now had no family, no connections, no past, was one that forced a sob from his lips. No matter how much despair he felt, he wouldn't regret his actions. His father had no right – he had forced Kiba into making such a drastic decision.

Kiba focused his gaze on the mud-slicked pathways before him, doing his best to keep his thoughts off of the loss of his family. Almost as soon as he reached the training grounds, Kiba froze, those dark thoughts disappearing as his eyes took in the motionless figure laid out on the ground.

As soon as he regained control of his muscles, Kiba flew to the boy's side, dropping to his knees and sliding the last few feet in the mud. Gently turning the boy onto his back, as though he was as fragile as china, Kiba found himself stroking a scarred cheek with his thumb. He whispered the boy's name as he studied his face. His features were too pale, too peaceful.

His heart racing, Kiba brought trembling fingers to the side of his neck, desperately searching for any pulse, no matter how weak. Pressing his fingertips on the cool, damp skin, it didn't matter how much pressure he placed on the artery; Kiba could feel no gentle throb.

"N-no…" Kiba raced to check the other side of the boy's neck, then his delicate, but heavily scarred wrists, but came up with the same result. Too stunned to even register what that lack of a pulse fully meant, Kiba pulled the boy into his lap, brushing his lips against the teen's forehead. "I love you, Naruto. No matter what _he_ told you, I love you m-more than I ever thought possible. I don't care what anyone says about us. I j-just want to be with you. I want to be the la-last person you see every night and b-be the one you wake up to in the morning. I want to tell you over and… and over how much I love you. I want to be the one you one day lo-love too."

When the blonde didn't answer his choked declaration, Kiba bowed his head against a rain-soaked shoulder and let out a sob as the realization finally hit him. He had lost his chance of being part of that future he saw where Naruto and he would make love outdoors on top of Hokage robes, affectionate touches and words proving their feelings for one another.

He would no longer be able to mock the blonde for being the runt of their academy class; he would never have the chance to hear the boy genuinely laugh. He had lost the chance to make love to the teen over and over again until Naruto knew for certain how much Kiba loved him. Perhaps the worst injustice of them all was that he would never get the chance to hear Naruto say 'I love you.'

Suddenly, there was a voice that pierced through the darkness of Kiba's thoughts and made the teen return to the world around him. "How far would you be willing to go to save him?" Kiba's body tightened at the stranger's words, his sensitive ears didn't immediately recognize the tone, but something about that soft, melodic voice struck a chord of familiarity in him. The brunet turned his gaze from the blonde in his arms to the beautiful woman slowly kneeling down next to him. Her silvery hair, nearly white in its pale shade, brushed against the muddied ground and her once immaculate clothes began soaking up brown stains from the earth beneath them. She looked at the blonde in Kiba's arms with an affectionate glance, her hands gracefully moving to touch his golden hair. "It's not too late."

Kiba watched her for a moment as she brushed her fingers through Naruto's drenched hair, her caresses motherly and, for a moment, Kiba couldn't help but wonder what his own mother would say when she found out he had denounced his family for the cold body in his arms. Finally finding the words needed to answer her question – though the answer itself was never a doubt in his mind – Kiba looked at her with seriousness etched in his face. "I would do anything to bring him back."

"Anything?" she repeated softly as she turned her golden eyes to Kiba. "There is a way to save him, but you may change your mind," she added almost sorrowfully as she sat back on her heels, her fingers leaving the blonde's hair.

"I would die for him," Kiba declared without any hesitation as he tightened his arms around the boy's motionless form. For a moment, he swore he saw the woman's gentle eyes flash a deep crimson color as his words reached her ears. If he had to describe them, he would say they were the same eyes he had seen on occasion when the blonde boy was enraged. They were the eyes of something inhuman – something positively demonic in origin. Realizing who the beautiful creature was, now smiling at him, Kiba felt a moment of terror, but he quickly banished it as he watched her nod her head understandingly.

"You may have to do just that."

--

Authoress: YOSH! Another chapter down…now, only one or two more to go! (and perhaps a little epilogue to reward everyone for keeping with this story so long) //smiles innocently// now, as you all know, I have a bit of a penchant for cliffhangers, and I'm sorry…but I couldn't help myself this one last time. I promise next chapter will bring a conclusion to this story if it kills me (and is insanely long in the process)!!

B.Z.: Kiba better not die! That's all I'm gonna say....

Authoress: And a huge thanks goes out to B.Z.-chan for betaing this chapter for me!! I also want to thank everyone for their reviews to last chapter – you guys are absolutely amazing! I am so grateful for everyone's suggestions and requests. I took all of them to heart when writing this chapter and in my plans for next chapter! So, until next time, ja ne!!


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Authoress: //cries// it has finally come…the last chapter to Revealing A Kitsune! I can't believe the story is coming to a close. Of course, keep your eyes peeled for the epilogue…//rubs hands together// I have plans for that little "end after the end" of mine…//dies of nosebleed//

Disclaimer: For nearly four years, I have begun every chapter the same way…I don't own Naruto, nor will I ever…and it is horribly depressing…

**Chapter Seventeen**

Slowly drifting into consciousness, the first thing he was aware of was an ache that originated in his chest, but extended to the very tips of his fingers and toes. The sensation wasn't a sharp pain, but a dulled feeling that caused his skin to tingle in a mixture of pleasure and pain that immediately told him that there had to be some powerful drugs involved. He never would have thought hell had such substances, but then again, it made a strange amount of sense.

He cracked an eye open, hesitant to know what the afterlife truly looked like. Iruka had pasted the idea of fluffy clouds into his head as a child, but he knew that if there were two places to go after death, he would have been one of the ones inarguably destined to plummet downwards. Blinking a few times to clear his vision, he found himself cursing under his breath. For all the crap he pulled, he sure as hell didn't deserve this eternal punishment.

Several people surrounded him – those most important to him. All asleep, exhaustion etched on their faces; it was painful for him to even watch. A wave of remorse hit him as he watched the brunet shift in his obviously uncomfortable position that consisted of being draped over the armrest of his chair in order to have his head resting on his lover's shoulder. The other man, in turn, was sliding out of his own chair, his legs stretched out in front of him so far, he could only wonder how the jounin hadn't fallen from his precarious perch yet.

The other two that held their position on the other side of him were equally tired, but their positions didn't look anywhere near as awkward. No, they had somehow maneuvered themselves in those chairs so that the blonde could cushion her head with the man's lap. It was strangely endearing, considering he had never seen them do anything other than bicker.

Shifting his position silently so that he could get a better look around the room, he held his breath as the brunet squirmed in his seat, his face momentarily lit up by the pale stream of silver coming into the room. He felt his chest tighten when he saw the streaks of tears on the scarred face. Though those twin lines had obviously been dry for some time, it didn't make him feel any less guilty.

He had never once seen proof that the man who had adopted him as his own had ever cried. A few tears in anger or pain were one thing, but he had the sinking feeling these were tears of true sadness. The kindhearted teacher should've never dealt with such emotions, but – and he smiled ruefully – it was more than likely his fault that the man was crying now. Whoever made up these torments in hell was apparently very good at it. There was little else that could make him feel like crap faster than making his beloved father cry.

Moving again, he furrowed his eyebrows when he felt something tug against his skin. It didn't take more than a glance to see there was a needle inserted into the back of one hand, while a number of wires were, for some unexplainable reason, sneaking down the collar of a loose-fitting shirt. From the unfamiliar sensation of something adhered to his skin, he could only assume they were attached to spots across his entire chest.

Looking down at those wires, beginning to find this set up familiar, muted sounds finally started to filter into his ears. There was a soft, nearly inaudible beeping coming from a large piece of machinery off to the side, which the wires were hooked up to. There was the drip of something and, glancing around, he saw liquid-filled bags hung up near the bed he was in.

He then heard the shuffle of feet, of wheels moving across floors, and a whispery disembodied voice calling for some doctor he had never heard of. _This… this is the hospital… _he slowly realized as he glanced around the room again. He also realized, for the first time, that his window didn't have a view of some fiery afterlife, but of the sleeping village. The room wasn't some kind of torture chamber, but a hospital room filled with four people who all, in their own way, cared for him. That realization made him scuttle back, away from the people who were his family. The sensations running through him weren't so unfamiliar that he didn't know their names, but he desperately wished that he didn't feel such a close bond to them.

"You're awake…" He nearly fell out of the bed as he jumped back, his head swiveling around to the source of that voice, filled with amazement and choking on tears. Looking into the watery eyes of the sole female presence in the room, he froze. He never saw her as weak – anything but – but in that moment, he could see every weakness she had. It was her compassion, her love for him, that made her stifle a sob as she cautiously sat up, but it was those same things that made her strong in his eyes.

"Baa-chan…" He didn't know what to say to the woman who, up until a short while ago, was just someone he looked up to. No, now he knew that she held a tie to him that no one could ever deny. A small smile tugged at his lips as he wondered why he had never recognized his stubbornness in her, nor his loyalty and quick temper. As he looked at her under a new light, he could only guess that he physically took after his grandfather more than her, since all he could see that they shared was their golden hair.

"W-we were so worried…" she whispered as she slowly relocated onto the edge of the bed, one hand raising shakily as though she was holding some internal battle on whether or not to touch him. The realization that he wanted to feel her hand against him was one that momentarily floored him. Almost as though she saw the surprise he felt, she flung her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. Her grip held none of its monstrous strength, but made him feel far safer than he could ever remember.

"What happened?" he asked as he unconsciously nestled against her warmth, finding her massive chest to be an oddly comforting object to rest his head against. The only person who had ever held him like this was Iruka and, as much as he cared for his adoptive father, there was something different about her embrace.

"I should have told you a long time ago," she said quietly as she pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes. "I…I'm your grandmother, Naruto."

"I know." It was all he could say in response without fear of his voice cracking. All he could hope was that it would be enough to remove that self-recrimination from her normally gentle eyes. He had realized, nearly as soon as he knew of his heritage, that he couldn't hate her for keeping their shared blood a secret.

"Do you hate me?" she asked as she searched his eyes for something, and she apparently found it, judging from the small smile that graced her eternally young face. "Jiraiya didn't know about your father, I didn't know that you were his son… and Kakashi thought you had been killed in the Kyuubi attack…" she added with a soft chuckle that was not one of humor, but of desperation.

"Kakashi… What does he have to do with it?" Naruto questioned as he glanced over to the silver-haired idiot still slipping from his chair. At the moment, his hair wasn't the only thing that was defying gravity.

"Ask him when he wakes up…" his grandmother replied as she followed Naruto's gaze. "I don't know which one of them was worse when you were brought in. Iruka broke down crying… Kakashi just broke down… and Jiraiya was a mess, too. He hasn't been perverse for a moment since Shino found you."

"Shino?" He rubbed his head, wondering if he had lost his mind or if the woman had. Her words made no sense to him, but she acted as though it was the most understandable thing in the world.

"He sensed something was wrong with Kiba and ran to the clearing… and found you…" Tsunade trailed off. In that moment, she made the decision to wait to tell her grandson the most important part of his survival. He was still too weak to deal with such a shock. "When you were born, you had a heart defect. The Kyuubi was the only thing keeping you alive, but as you got older, there was less she could do to help.

"Two days ago, when you had passed out in the clearing, your heart stopped. It took a transplant to save you," she finished as she sat back on her heels, studying her grandson for a reaction. He blinked a few times as he absorbed it all, but she was surprised when there was no disbelief in his eyes. It made her smile bitterly as she realized Naruto knew. Whether or not he knew exactly what was wrong with him, he had somehow always known.

"I was supposed to have four months," Naruto pointed out softly as he looked down at his hands. Intently staring at them now, he slowly realized that his fingers no longer held that cold, tingling numbness that he had grown accustomed to some time ago. "How long do I have now?"

"My best medical guess? Another seventy or so years… as long as you don't go and do something stupid," she replied, chuckling when she saw his eyes widen. Tsunade knew better than to ask how he had known about those four months – if he was anything like his grandfather, he would have eavesdropped and learned all about his failing heart a few days ago. The surprise that his face showed, however, gave her pause. Furrowing her eyebrows, she felt her eyes water as she came to understand that he had already begun to think of the rest of his life as a matter of weeks and months, no longer years and decades like any other teen his age. It was a thought that no one his age should ever have to have.

"But it was impossible to save me," Naruto pointed out quietly as he looked back up to his grandmother. "I heard you and Sakura… there was nothing you could do!" His statement wasn't so much an exclamation, as an emotional phrase that made her grandson more human than she had ever seen him before.

"Sometimes miracles… and inspiration… happen," Tsunade answered cryptically, inwardly begging that Naruto wouldn't ask her where the transplant had come from. She knew she didn't have the strength, nor the heart, to tell him that he had been saved by the teen who had loved him above all else, even more than his own life.

--

The flood of well-wishers was starting to grate on his nerves. There were only so many flowers and fruit baskets he could take. At least Lee had the original and amusing idea to sculpt a heart out of dry instant ramen. Everyone else was painfully predictable.

Closing his eyes, Naruto leaned back against his pillow and, again, counted the days until Tsunade said he would be strong enough to leave the hospital. Though he would still be under her hawk eyes, along with having to deal with Iruka's mother hen complex, Kakashi's valiant attempts to make up for lost time, and Jiraiya's training him to become his ghost writer, it would be far better than lazing about in bed all day, while having to deal with people's amazement and concern.

Perhaps the worst thing was their sympathy. He had no idea why so many pitied him – Tsunade had already assured him several times that his transplant wouldn't result in his revocation of his shinobi status. If anything, his stronger heart would help him in his dreams of becoming Hokage. Then what could possibly make people look at him as though they wanted to break down and cry for him?

Hearing someone step into the room on unsure feet, Naruto cracked open an eye and found himself staring at the shyest girl he had ever met. "N-Naruto-kun…" she whispered as she was all but propelled into the room by a Sand shinobi. It took Naruto a few moments of gawking to recognize that same clean-faced youth as the Puppet Master, but when he did, he saw how obvious it was from the way he was protectively grasping his young wife's waist.

"Ohayo, Hinata-chan!" Naruto plastered on the happy tone in hopes she would get the hint and leave him alone. He had all but banished two clans from ever stepping into his room. Neji was the sole exception to his family's expulsion. There was no one from the Inuzuka clan that was allowed within a fifty foot radius of his room.

Flopping back against his pillows, feigning exhaustion, Naruto almost immediately regretted it when he recalled Hinata was a medical nin, whose only rivals were Sakura and Tsunade. She quickly moved to his side, checking his vitals as Tsunade compulsively did every time she came in the room. It was kind of endearing the first few times, but after having been in the hospital for four days, it was now aggravating beyond belief.

"A-are you alright, Naruto-kun?" she asked with surprisingly few stutters, considering she was now close enough to him that Naruto could see the dark rings under her eyes that were almost perfectly hidden by make-up. Remembering that the trip between Suna and Konoha was a long one, he could only wonder how hard they must have paced themselves to get to Konoha so quickly. The next question logically followed – why had they been in such a rush, that Hinata had obviously not slept in several nights?

"Fine, Hinata-chan. I just want to get out of here," Naruto replied with a sigh. In the past few days, he had been amazed to find himself actually starting to _talk_ to those who came to visit him, instead of hiding behind his happy façade until they left him blissfully alone. No, sometimes he didn't mind the company so much.

"Y-you did have a very difficult surgery. You really should be here f-for at least several weeks," Hinata stated bravely as she pulled up a chair next to Naruto and gracelessly sat down in it, her face strained with exhaustion.

"If Kakashi hadn't decided to be my shadow, I would have been out of here three days ago," Naruto retorted truthfully. His godfather was actually a few doors down, dealing with a broken nose Naruto had given him after another one of their arguments over his close supervision.

Of course, it was a dirty tactic to grasp for his chest at the height of their argument – just when Kakashi was about to win – then as the man had run towards him to find out what was the matter, Naruto had clocked him with a strong right hook. It may have been underhanded, but it was worth all the angry glares from Iruka. He had actually been able to best the pervert for the first time! The best thing was that Kakashi didn't hold any hard feelings. Actually, once he had stopped reeling around the room, cursing profusely as he clutched his face, he had actually congratulated Naruto.

"You would be putting yourself in danger! You need to rest!" Gone was her annoying stutter and, looking at the furious Hyuuga, Naruto momentarily wished he had known when to shut up. Hinata, of all people, should never be able to give such a death glare – it was downright frightening and far more impressive than anything Neji or Sasuke could ever hope to achieve.

"I've rested a few days! I'm _fine_!" Naruto snapped back, having heard this same lecture from Iruka, Tsunade, Sakura, six doctors, and three nurses thus far today. "Even Tsunade said I'm healing faster than she expected!"

"That doesn't matter! You had a heart transplant - the first successful one! There's no telling when or if something will go wrong," Hinata replied, her anger lessening slightly as she sat back in her chair, her pale eyes still focused entirely on Naruto.

"I'm not going to live the rest of my life with the fear my heart _might_ give out any minute!" Naruto snarled, finding that since his surgery, he had the energy to feed the temper that had been otherwise starved for years. As a result, everyone had quickly realized his fiery temperament could surface at any moment and, for the sake of his mending heart, did their best to avoid agitating him.

"Then you would waste such a gift!? He gave you his heart!" Hinata replied so quickly, Naruto was momentarily taken back. This young woman before him wasn't the quiet, painfully shy girl from the academy. No, this was a shinobi with a backbone and a temper rivaling his own.

"Oh, it's not like he needed it anymore!" Almost as soon as those words left his mouth, Naruto knew he would regret them. Hinata's features, if possible, became even paler than her near-albino skin was naturally and, whether she noticed it or not, her Byakugan activated as she glared at Naruto with such distain and hatred, the blonde was blown away.

"How… dare… you!!" With that, Naruto found his head being wrenched to the side as pain shot through his cheek and temple, making his teeth rattle and he swore that for a moment he saw stars. It took a few more moments of breathless confusion for him to come to the slow realization that he had just been slapped by the even-tempered Hyuuga.

"What the hell?!" Naruto screeched as he moved to cradle his offended cheek. It was one thing to be slapped by Sakura – he was expecting it whenever he saw her, but this had caught him completely by surprise and, as a result, hurt far more than his old teammate's powerful hits.

"How can you be so ungrateful!?" Naruto stared at her, losing the very ability to speak, when he saw her white eyes filling with tears. "K-Kiba…" She couldn't finish as she bowed her head, her shoulders shaking in silent sobs. Though she made no sound, her silence hurt far more than Naruto expected, as he was forced to repeat that name over in his head, hardly able to grasp her meaning.

When it finally came to him, he found himself dumbly staring down at his chest where he could see a dark scar peeking out from under his t-shirt. He hadn't once had the urge to look at it until now. The thought that, beating beneath that mark, was a heart that he didn't deserve brought bile to the back of his throat. Moving with a speed that, on any other occasion would have impressed even him, Naruto flew from his bed towards the bathroom.

Instinctively, he locked the door before running to drop before the porcelain toilet. Dry heaving several times, revulsion filled him. There was only one reason Hinata would have said _his_ name right when yelling at him for being thankless for his heart. Pressing his head against the cool basin, he choked back a sob.

He had refused to think about him since he woke up in the hospital. There were so many people visiting him, so many tests and check ups… and he had been so drained that there was little he ever thought about or did. He was never alone to get lost in his thoughts – was there some reason everyone made sure he wasn't given a moment to himself?

_Kyuubi… is Hinata right?_ Naruto asked quietly, begging the demon to tell him the Hyuuga was mistaken, but she didn't answer him. Whimpering as he closed his eyes, Naruto scoured his mind for her, but she was no longer there. Her prison, her rumbling voice, her soft coat… it was all gone, as though she had never been there at all.

Stumbling back up, Naruto tore the shirt off of himself, hissing in pain at his jerky movements. Clutching the pale vanity, he looked at his reflection for the first time in a long time. He had always hated his image – his eyes, his scars… that happy smile – it didn't match with how he felt inside, so he had all but refused to look at himself. Now, staring into his hauntingly cold eyes, the dark rims proving his old insomnia, and sunken cheeks from illness, Naruto couldn't even recognize himself. It was in that unfamiliar face staring back at him that he found a feature that his warped emotional barrier refused to let him feel – loneliness.

No matter what, he had always had the Kyuubi to talk to and annoy. As he got older, she was there to have conversations with. She was the one to rock him to sleep, to protect him, to envelop his cold body with her tails. She was his mother… but even she had abandoned him.

Naruto barely registered that he had let out a desperate roar as he felt the painful solitude finally hit him. He stepped backwards, for the first time looking at the mark running down his chest in a mixture of horror and despair. He had known he would have a scar – he had caught glimpses of where it began at the hollow of his throat, but he had never imagined the discolored mark would travel nearly to his navel.

Bringing shaking fingers up to touch the dark lines crossing back and forth over the healing scar, Naruto realized that all those unfamiliar pulling sensations were due to these tight ties. He had never had stitches before - he had never required them. The Kyuubi healed him so quickly there was never a need for them. Now, however, he was covered in hundreds of those small knots. It was all the proof he needed to know that the Kyuubi was truly gone.

Backing up, Naruto leaned against the tiled wall of the small bathroom, tilting his head backwards as he closed his eyes. Attempting to fight off the emotions that threatened him, Naruto recalled the past few days. Most of his visitors were a blur – Ichiraku's owner and his daughter, the Naruto Corps, Iruka, Sakura, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Tsunade, almost all of the shinobi he had taken his chuunin exam with. They all came to say they hoped he was feeling better, but there was one person who was painfully absent.

Kiba had never once dared to step into the room. Had he tried, Naruto wasn't sure if he would have thrown him from the room, had a panic attack, or tried killing him on the spot. He never had to make a decision because Kiba never came. Feeling warmth prick at his eyes, Naruto recalled how there had been a few brunettes who looked like Kiba – not to mention having matching tattoos on their faces – who had tried to visit him the day he had woken up.

There was an older woman – maybe she was Kiba's mother? Naruto never bothered to ask. She and a younger woman, who as he looked back on it now, Naruto guessed to be Kiba's older sister, had barely made it to his door before he had recognized those marks and demanded they leave. Perhaps demanded was not the right word – worked himself into a frenzy, screamed, ranted, cried. Any of those verbs would have explained why Tsunade would allow no Inuzuka near his room any more.

Biting his lip, the blonde had to wonder why they had been coming to see him. He thought it was another attempt of Kiba's family to rub it in his face that he could never stay with the brunet, but now? He now could recall the stricken look in Kiba's mother's face, the pain in his sister's. How did he not notice there were tears in their eyes?

This time, there was no stifling the sobs that wracked his body as he slowly came to understand they weren't there to mock him and break his heart again. No, they must have been there to explain to him what had happened. That they had lost their heir? That he had lost his lover? Grabbing at his chest, Naruto scratched at his healing skin, wishing there was some other explanation. There had to be a better reason he was still alive, other than that Kiba's heart now resided in his chest, beating with a rhythm Naruto found himself recognizing as he slid to the floor in a heap. It was that same fast pace that he had slept against, that he had found himself happily listening to even in his sleep.

"Oh, God…" Naruto, for the first time in his life, found himself praying - not for an end to the painful emotions, but an end to it all. At least before, he could live with the thought that, somewhere, Kiba was happy with his family. Now? Now it wasn't worth living without even that to keep him going.

"Naruto!" Bringing his knees up to his chest, resting his head against his legs, the blonde ignored the anxious, fearful voice of his grandmother. Another voice called out his name, begging him to open the door. Iruka – only his adoptive father could make him smile slightly when he felt the world crashing down around him.

It took no more than a tendril of chakra to unlock the door, before he retreated back into himself, wrapping his arms around his legs as he felt his body begin to shake uncontrollably. Almost as soon as the lock clicked, Tsunade flew into the room, her hands already glowing with a healing green chakra.

She froze halfway into the room when she saw Naruto curled up on the floor, shivering and soft, muffled sobs coming from him. Moving to kneel next to him, the Hokage quickly checked him over, relieved to find that there was nothing wrong with his heart – physically speaking, that is. Hinata had already apologized so profusely – her defense being that she had no idea Naruto wasn't aware of who the donor was – Tsunade knew exactly what had driven Naruto into the bathroom to cry his eyes out.

"Come with me, Naruto…" Tsunade said gently as she held her hands out to help her grandson to his feet. It took Naruto a moment to respond and when he finally did, it was a quick glance up at her before dropping his head back against his knees. "I want to show you something."

His body moved, not like the powerful shinobi he was, but like a child still half-asleep. Tsunade smiled sadly, knowing it was far better to be in this numb state at the moment. "You didn't tell me…" was all Naruto whispered as he placed his hands in hers and slowly got up.

"I didn't think you were ready to know," she replied as she picked up his discarded shirt, handing it back to him. When she saw Naruto's red-rimmed gaze had shifted to the vanity mirror, his eyes focused on the mark down his chest, she threw the shirt over his head, and without much protest from his limp arms, pulled the limbs through their appropriate sleeves.

With a glance to Iruka, Tsunade saw the teacher's shoulders relax. Her eyes had told the brunet that she would explain everything to the emotionally broken blonde. Behind him, Hinata was still sniffling apologies, but she fell silent when, on his own accord, Naruto moved to stand in front of her.

Tsunade watched the two, a part of her amazed to see that Naruto now towered over the slim girl. What shocked her even more was how Hinata flew against his chest without heed for the angry mark they all knew to be there. But it wasn't her movement that made Tsunade's mouth drop; it was Naruto's response. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her smaller frame and simply held her, dropping his forehead against the crown of her black locks.

"Naruto-kun... I thought you knew."

Naruto didn't respond verbally to Hinata's confession. Instead, he tightened his arms around her momentarily and then put her an arm's length away to study her face for a moment. Something changed in his eyes before he smiled weakly. Loosening his hold on her shoulders, Naruto moved back to Tsunade's side and looked up at his grandmother expectantly. That loneliness and pain were still in his blue eyes, but there was also something else that made Tsunade's breath catch in her throat – acceptance. Somehow, her grandson had truly matured into an adult. Years ago, he would have wrongly blamed Hinata – he would have ranted and raved. Now, however, he took it in stride, understanding what he could, sifting through what he couldn't in hopes of one day coming to terms with it. She had to smile as she realized he would, one day, make a great Hokage.

"Follow me," she said, her voice choked with a mixture of emotions. Whether it was conscious or not, Naruto moved to her side, his hand slipping into hers and squeezing softly. She wasn't sure who was supposed to be comforted by his actions, but she caught a glimpse of the change in his features as he took several calming breaths.

Not allowing herself to speak again, Tsunade led Naruto from the room and down the hallway. She had made this trek so many times in the past few days, she could have done it blindfolded, but she could feel Naruto begin to slow as they approached their destination. The Hokage didn't have to look anywhere other than her grandson's widening eyes to know that, as usual, there were several imposing figures hunched over on the hallway's sole bench.

"Tsunade-sama…" Recognizing the voice as the compassionate woman she had gotten to know quite well, Tsunade smiled as she looked up into the hazel eyes of the motherly presence. The younger woman – though old by anyone else's standards – returned the weak smile before, with the help of her ever-present daughter, moved to stand up to greet the village leader.

"How is he doing today, Inuzuka-sama?" Tsunade asked as she all but dragged Naruto behind her the last few steps it took to reach the woman. In the past few days, the woman seemed to age a century and, had Tsunade not been so preoccupied, she would have demanded the woman rest. As it stood, however, the woman, a powerful and well-respected jounin, was weak enough that a gentle breeze would be able to knock her over.

"Better, I think… whatever it is that the Kazekage is doing, it seems like it's helping…" she replied as she looked away from the village leader and to the boy, all but hiding behind her. "How are you feeling, Uzumaki-kun?" she asked, her voice quavering slightly as she recalled how he had acted last time she had been near him. She wasn't sure if she could handle another outburst from him.

"F-fine," Naruto whispered as he shifted so he wasn't using his grandmother as a shield anymore. Looking at the brunette, he could see that she wasn't angry at him, nor did she hate him. No, he would have to call that emotion in her watery eyes something like those that filled Tsunade's eyes when she looked at him.

"I am glad to hear that," she commented, her voice ringing with the truth of her words. "I am sorry, we haven't been properly introduced before. I am Tsume. That is my daughter Hana…" She gestured to the beautiful young woman walking towards them hesitantly. Naruto bowed to Hana, recognizing her as the other woman who had tried visiting him. From the unease in her eyes, she remembered him as well.

"I thought you were going to tell me to stay away from him," Naruto mumbled as a way of explaining his rudeness the other day and, in the same breath, apologizing for snapping at them.

"How can we?" Tsume asked so quietly, Naruto only knew she spoke because he saw her lips move. The older woman shifted as a large creature joined their group. Naruto glanced down momentarily, guessing that the monstrous dog was one of their clan's canines, but he had never before seen one that was so old. "Haiiro also wanted to meet you."

"Huh?" Naruto asked as he eyed the ancient creature. The dog simply looked back at him with eyes far too wise to be those of a normal animal. The large creature took a step towards him, brushing the top of his head against Naruto's fingers in way of greeting the confused teen.

"He is the head of the Inuzuka pack. He has been pacing at home, demanding that he get the chance to meet you," Hana added softly as she gestured to the dog. In response, the dog gave a soft rumbling sound that Naruto knew to be a growl of warning.

"Why me?" Naruto asked, not wanting to state out loud that the dog probably wanted to meet the person who had made Kiba into an adulterer. That thought made him smile sadly. He could have sworn Kiba felt something for him, but how could he explain Kiba's marriage? Then again, could there be the small chance he had been right about Kiba's feelings for him?

"I wanted to meet the young man Kiba would leave his family for," the dog replied, answering the blonde's unasked question about what Kiba felt for him. Naruto found himself stepping back at those words. He glanced to his grandmother for clarification, but saw her studying him strangely. It was only then he realized she hadn't understood the large dog, but he had.

"… Akamaru was telling the truth…" Hana whispered in amazement as she studied the boy, who was now glancing over at her with confusion in his eyes. "He said you understood the Inuzuka canines because of your bond with Kiba… but it's so rare, we all thought that he was mistaken…"

Without another word, Naruto moved to the now unoccupied bench and sat down on the uncomfortable piece of furniture. Sighing, he dropped his head into his hands as he tried to make sense of everything. Sure, he understood Akamaru, but the dog had said it was a fluke because of the Kyuubi. These two women, the way they were staring at him in awe, told him another story entirely. Not to mention that, now that he was aware of her absence, Naruto could feel how his body no longer held that reddish chakra that had kept him alive for so long. It had been such a common part of his daily life, he had taken it for granted and, now that it and the demon that possessed it were gone, Naruto missed them.

"Naruto-kun… may I call you that?" Naruto glanced up in time to see Hana falling to her knees before him, and staring at him with eyes that were so much like Kiba's, it was painful to look at her for very long. "I know what my father said to you and I apologize for him. He didn't know about you and Kiba… none of us did. If we had, that farce of a marriage would have never happened."

Seeing his confusion, she continued speaking, "Hanabi and Kiba were married through proxy. Kiba knew nothing about it and, if he had, he would have refused to be married to her."

"Why? It's a good marriage," Naruto found himself mumbling numbly as he looked down at the polished floor. He wasn't so stupid or immature to see how such a marriage between powerful clans would be very advantageous. Naruto glanced back up when he heard Hana suck in a sharp breath before letting out something akin to a sob.

"He fell in love with you a long time ago, but only recently realized he didn't care that he was the heir to our clan. He just wanted to be with you, but he never told anyone in the family about how deep his feelings went. How could he ever tell us that our line would die with him?

"When he found out what our father said to you… he renounced us. Kiba is no longer the heir… he isn't an Inuzuka anymore." She fell silent for a moment so she could take a deep, shaky breath. "He left us because he loved you that much. Our father just didn't realize it in time…"

"But…" Naruto's hand went to touch his chest, his fingers running along the stitches he could feel through his thin t-shirt. Looking up into the young woman's eyes, he could see she wasn't lying to him. Kiba truly had severed all ties with his beloved clan just for him.

"He probably didn't tell you. I doubt he realized it himself, but Kiba marked you as his mate. There is no way our family could have argued such a connection – my father has already had the marriage annulled in hopes you would forgive him for his mistakes. He is taking it pretty hard… he didn't believe Kiba _could_ love you enough that he would be willing to die for you," Hana replied as she hesitantly reached out to rest a hand on one of Naruto's knees. Naruto buried his head against his chest, his golden bangs hiding his face, but she could still taste the saltiness in the air as he took a shaky breath.

"He _did_ die for me," Naruto whispered as he rested a palm against the hidden scar down his chest. His words weren't wavering; no, they were surprisingly even. Perhaps it was because, at that moment, he couldn't feel anything other than the strong beat beneath his hand that told him Kiba sacrificed everything for him – that Kiba truly did love him.

"Yes and no." Hana's response made Naruto glance up quickly. In his confusion, he forgot to dry the watery trails on his scarred cheeks as he stared at her, his eyes searching for some kind of indication it was a cruel joke on her part, but there was no such glint to her eye or smirk to her face. No, everything about the brunette's features told him she was telling him the truth.

Naruto opened his mouth, attempting to ask her what she was talking about, but no sound came. Instead, he could only shake his head in disbelief. Hana squeezed his knee gently as she smiled at him. "Kiba… he killed himself so you could be given his heart. I don't think he was expecting to survive… to have his heart regenerate. Surely no one else imagined such a thing was possible."

The blonde could only mouth the one word that he was able to pick out of Hana's comment. It was the only word that his ears captured as he stared at her in fascination. _Survive…_

"He's alive?" Naruto's words were no more than choked sob as he covered his mouth with one hand, while the other pressed firmly against his chest. Nestled deep inside him, his heart – Kiba's heart – seemed to skip a beat before racing when he saw Hana slowly nod. The Inuzuka's eyes shifted slightly and, following her gaze, Naruto saw the panes of glass separating the large room from the nearly silent hallway.

The room was darkened, but not so much so that he couldn't make out the bright shock of red hair of one of the room's occupants nor the pale eyes of another. He could see a glint of pink locks as well. Those three, along with two other less notable figures, were circling a bed that seemed to be too large for the unmoving form in it.

Naruto's body moved long before he registered who was in that bed, recognizing the red tattoos on an unnaturally pale face. Gone was that uniquely colored skin, replaced by a bloodless shade that would have suited Naruto's near-albino godfather far better.

He had nearly reached the room's closed door before arms encircled him, holding him back, but not keeping him from watching as the redhead moved, his hands forming seals at such a speed, eyes couldn't keep up with him. Naruto didn't try to fight those arms, knowing immediately that they were his grandmother's. In the past few days, he had become so accustomed to her embraces that it took no more than a moment of contact to distinguish her hugs from anyone else's.

"Don't break Gaara's concentration," Tsunade whispered into her grandson's ear gently. Loosening her hold on him, she watched as he simply stood in front of the windows, watching as the Kazekage poured chakra into the brunet. Naruto moved in order to bring a hand up to rest on the glass, but he didn't make a sound for several moments, content just to watch.

"What is he doing?" Naruto finally asked, though he refused to let his eyes leave the pale face of his lover. Even without the Kyuubi, he could feel Gaara was molding vast amounts of chakra, and then pumping it into the immobile teen. If Naruto had to describe that energy, he would call it evil, which made him realize it was demonic chakra. Was that what other people sensed when he had been tapping into the Kyuubi's powers? It was no wonder so many people mistrusted him, if he gave off such vibes.

"When the two of you were found, everyone assumed Kiba was dead. How couldn't he be? He no longer had a heart… it took a few hours for me to have the time to notice he still had chakra coursing through him," Tsunade admitted as she bowed her head, resting her forehead against Naruto's shoulder. "Since then, keeping him under observation, Sakura noticed he was starting to heal – that his heart was being regenerated.

"Almost as soon as Shino found you, I had Hinata brought back – since at that time I thought Kiba was dead – but we were lucky that Gaara came as well. He took it upon himself to organize Kiba's chakra, as well as give some of his own so his body can heal faster. It has drained him so much we have at least four or five shinobi in the room at one time to donate chakra for him to work with."

"Since Gaara-sama came, Kiba has started to look a little less… well... dead," Hana commented as she came to stand next to Naruto, her eyes riveted on the scene before them. "Our clan asked that he and the others stop – that it was taking too much of a toll on all of them – but they said that Kiba is their friend and they would do anything they could to help him."

"Why would you want them to stop?" Naruto asked as he finally pulled his eyes away from the room, and looked over at Hana. She smiled sadly as she shifted to face the two blondes.

"No matter how much Kiba heals, there will still be damage. If he ever wakes up again, his brain has a good chance of being destroyed from all this time without any blood flow. If he miraculously still has all his mental capacities, his body will still have suffered similar damage. He probably will be unable to move, much less walk. It's a life Kiba would have never wanted for himself." Naruto studied Kiba's sister for a moment, recalling that she had medical training, so he realized that she was speaking from a doctor's perspective and not from a sister hoping to one day talk to her brother again.

"But there is a chance he will be back to normal when all of this is over. Demonic chakra is something we have nowhere near enough experience with to be able to say what will happen," Tsunade pointed out as she looked over at the Inuzuka girl with a glare.

"Why demonic chakra?" Naruto asked no one in particular, as he went back to watching Gaara fight for his friend's life. The teen couldn't help but smile at the touching scene before him. Surrounding that bed were Kiba's friends and, Naruto was sure, there were other teams of his friends recovering from their own time spent in the room, as well as others waiting to take these teens' spots.

"It seems that the Kyuubi melded her chakra with Kiba's, which is what saved his life," Tsunade replied quietly as she moved to stand next to her grandson. "I didn't want to ask you before… but you can't feel her anymore, can you?"

"No… why?" Naruto eyed his grandmother, wondering how she knew of the Kyuubi's absence in his mind, as well as the loss of her chakra. Then again, Tsunade probably figured out about the lack of demonic energy on her own.

"From what I understand, your bond to Kiba allows the two of you to share abilities, which includes things like letting you understand the Inuzuka canines, and the Kyuubi being able to be contained in Kiba. She's healing him as she has for you, but since it's so life-threatening, Gaara and the others are helping to speed the process up," Tsunade answered as she glanced over to her grandson, wondering if she should tell Naruto now or wait until a better time to tell him that the seal had been broken.

Everything the Fourth had done was destroyed when Naruto's heart had stopped. There was nothing keeping the demon inside Kiba, but she was – for reasons no one fully understood – saving the boy's life. It was almost as though she had quite human emotions; that she cared for Naruto and Kiba enough to stay with them and do everything in her power to save both of them. It was enough to make Tsunade wonder if she would like the demon if they ever met face to face. There was a definite maternal feeling to the Kyuubi's actions.

"If she's healing Kiba, then she will make sure he's okay," Naruto said assuredly, all despair vanishing from his face as he glanced over to his grandmother and smiled gently. "She really likes Kiba… sometimes more than me, I think."

"Then I'm sure he'll be fine," Tsunade commented, unable to keep a smile from her face when she saw Naruto blush slightly, before he quickly went back to looking at his unconscious lover through the glass pane. She ruffled her grandson's hair gently, letting up a silent prayer that a miracle really did happen, and Kiba would be fine.

--

Naruto slipped into the nearly empty room, glancing back only momentarily to make sure no one was following him. It had taken hours to get his grandparents to leave him alone, and he'd had to put the most X-rated ideas he could think of into Kakashi's head in order to get his two "fathers" to finally leave him for the night. Naruto knew there would be no patiently waiting out Iruka like he had with his grandparents – the man would have stayed there all night if Kakashi hadn't giggled at a particularly perverse thought, then swept up Iruka and disappeared with a poof of smoke.

For a moment, he twitched at the realization that, at this very moment, the two men were probably doing quite a few things that would be making his prudish guardian blush furiously. It was enough to make anyone shiver in disgust. He should have never been able to imagine Kakashi and Iruka in bed, but thanks to his grandfather, he had quite an image to try shaking from his head as he walked into the silent room.

The only thing he could hear was the whirring of machinery. It had been two days since Gaara had finally passed out from exhaustion, and no one else could possibly hope to continue where the Kazekage left off, so the rest was just a matter of time. Tsunade had told him this morning that the brunet's heart had finally started beating the night before, which meant it was completely healed. It meant Kiba should wake up soon.

The entire day was spent pacing back and forth, waiting, but nothing happened. Everyone else switched shifts, but Naruto stayed the entire day – until forcefully dragged out by his grandmother in order to eat and go to bed. His food was tasteless and as for the sleep, it was simple enough to trick the hospital staff with a clone who was overjoyed with the idea that all he had to do was feign sleep.

Naruto tip-toed the last few feet to the side of the bed, unable to shake the thought that, somewhere, his grandmother was just waiting for him to make a noise so she could come yell at him to go to bed. Sliding onto the edge of the bed – all other furniture having been removed from the room so Gaara and the others could have more room to work with chakra – Naruto found himself unconsciously shifting so that he was laying on the bed next to the unconscious brunet.

It was natural for him to curl up against the older teen's body. For a moment, Naruto jerked back when he felt how warm that skin was. In the past few days, he had grown so accustomed to the cool feel of his flesh whenever he went in to just hold Kiba's hand. Even this morning, his temperature was not so high that the blonde would call him warm. Now, however, his body was just as hot as it had been before. Before he and Kiba had nearly died. Before he thought the brunet felt nothing for him. Before they made love.

That final thought made Naruto blush slightly as he smiled at the older teen. He had spoken to Hana and Tsume more and more in the past few days as they waited for the miraculous. They both gave him knowing smiles from time to time in order to lighten the mood, but it always resulted in his face turning frightening shades of red. He was fine with the knowledge they were aware he and Kiba were lovers – it was another thing entirely to have them and Haiiro say that the Inuzuka clan were famed for their endurance during lovemaking.

Snuggling against Kiba's warmth, Naruto rested his head on the older teen's shoulder, consciously moving so he was putting no weight on the brunet's chest. Kiba's chest was not covered, revealing a scar much like his own, but it was far more gruesome than the clean cut down Naruto's torso. Shifting slightly, he gingerly brushed his lips against the skin that was already turning a pearly color.

No one spoke much about _that_ day. Partially, they remained silent because they didn't want to make him overly emotional. Another part, Naruto got the feeling, was because no one was really sure what had happened. He had spoken in depth with Shino, who said that he had placed bugs on both Akamaru and Kiba a long time ago just so he would know where his teammate was and what his condition was. He never thought he would one day get the sudden signal that Kiba was dead.

If it hadn't been for those dark glasses, Naruto swore he would have seen tears come to Shino's eyes as he recounted reaching the clearing and seeing the gory scene. As far as the Aburame could figure, Kiba had acted without a second thought in order to save Naruto's life. He had been the one to make the incision that left such a noticeable scar down the teen's chest. Using the medical knowledge Hinata had pounded into his and Shino's heads, he was able to remove Naruto's heart.

At that point in his story, Shino always had to stop and take a calming breath. Naruto had a feeling why; it wasn't Tsunade or any other medic that had performed the transplant. Kiba was the one to tear apart his own body and, burning all of his chakra just to stay alive those few seconds he needed to put his heart in Naruto, he had done what was otherwise medically impossible and saved the blonde.

Pressing his lips a little more firmly against the scar tissue, Naruto tried to imagine what he would have felt had he been the one to find Kiba – his chest torn open, his heart gone. To fall beside him, but not check for a pulse, already knowing the action would be useless. A few tears slipped out from his tightly shut eyes and fell on that bare chest.

"Why are you crying?"

A few more droplets fell from his eyes when he heard that question. It was a voice he could never forget, but right then was almost unfamiliar because it wavered weakly. For a moment, he was unable to muster the courage to look away from the scarred skin he was kissing. Finally, he looked up and what he saw made tears slide unchecked down his cheeks.

He never thought that he would miss those animalistic eyes, nor the pointed fangs revealed as soon as he opened his mouth. Naruto never thought that the sight of red marks against olive skin would be enough to make a wave of emotion hit him, leaving him momentarily stunned.

"Please don't cry, Naruto." At those words, Naruto could no longer help himself. He flung caution to the wind and wrapped his arms around the teen's middle, burying his head into the junction between his neck and shoulder before he allowed himself to sob.

Arms enveloped him instantly, revealing their familiar strength as they tightened until Naruto could hardly breathe, as he was pulled up on top of the older teen's chest. The constricting arms weren't painful – far from it. The blonde had to admit that he could be crushed and he wouldn't care. It meant that the brunet could move his arms – that he still had his inhuman strength.

Reveling in the feel of muscular arms encircling him, Naruto whimpered when he felt a new sensation run up his spine – fingers gently massaging him, soothing in the small circles they made across the planes of his back. Added to that was a hot puff of air against the top of his head, followed by a soft pressure that Naruto somehow knew was a pair of lips.

"What's wrong, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head against Kiba's neck, not trusting his voice just yet. After a moment, he opened his mouth, but all that came out was another sob. Burying his head even deeper against the Inuzuka, Naruto felt everything finally hit him – the past seven days of watching his lover slowly come back to life, over a week of learning what it's like to have family and friends, but most of all, having so many days where he finally realized what it was truly like to love someone so wholly and unconditionally that they would give their life without hesitation to protect him.

"I-" Naruto finally was able to make a sound, no matter how muffled. For a moment, those arms tightened around him comfortingly. "I-I love you," he stammered between gasps for breath, unable to stop himself from crying now.

Before Naruto realized what was happening, his face was pulled up and a glorious pressure was against his lips. Hungrily returning the caress, Naruto all but whimpered when Kiba began sucking on his bottom lip, his teeth caressing swollen flesh gingerly enough that the blonde felt nothing other than a tingling pleasure wherever those sharpened teeth touched.

Unsure who deepened the kiss, all of a sudden, Naruto found himself unconsciously sucking on the older teen's tongue fervently. Powerful hands slipped into his hair, fingers clinging to his hair as the older teen moaned into their kiss, his tongue exploring every inch of Naruto's willing mouth.

"Naruto…" Kiba whispered the blonde's name into his mouth as their passionate kiss slowed. The crushing pressure was gone, replaced by gentle nips and licks that were equally needy, but they were more controlled. Finally, Kiba pulled away breathless as he looked into the younger teen's face.

Brushing at the twin streaks running down Naruto's face with his thumbs, he smiled before gently brushing his lips against the blonde's. "B-baka… What the hell were you thinking!?" Regaining enough breath in order to speak, Naruto felt a wave of anger overtake him. That anger, however, dissipated in the matter of moments when he heard Kiba's response.

"I love you," was all Kiba said before pausing to chastely kiss Naruto senseless, but the assured tone of his voice spoke volumes. It told Naruto that he never had to worry about Kiba's feelings for him, that he never had to question Kiba's motives. No matter what else happened, there was one thing that would always be constant – that Kiba wholly and unconditionally loved him. "I tried to tell you before, but you had fallen asleep…"

"You're an asshole," Naruto retorted with a huff as he rested his forehead against Kiba's. His words held no bite, but reflected the exhaustion and worry he'd had to deal with for the past week. He didn't look at his lover, knowing that he would start crying again, but this time it would be the swelling of his heart that made him begin to sob. Though he already knew about Kiba's feelings for him – having heard them from so many people in the past few days – it was far more astonishing and meaningful to hear Kiba's deep voice state them. "Normal people give the person they love chocolates, jewelry, and other things. They don't give their heart!"

"Well, I wanted to be original," Kiba stated with a chuckle. Naruto looked into the Inuzuka's face, his body warming when he saw that the older teen had a smirk on his face. Naruto never thought he could miss that suspiciously happy smile so much.

"Dog breath," was Naruto's comeback before he slid off the older teen, nestling himself against Kiba's larger frame. He did, however, keep one hand resting on the scar running down the teen's chest and pressed his ear to Kiba's breast, happily listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart. Faster and stronger than a normal person's, it was perfect to Naruto's ears. It matched his own.

Kiba let his fingers trail up and down Naruto's arm just to feel his lover's soft skin that was far warmer than he remembered it being during their night together. It was almost the same temperature as an Inuzuka's body. "How… how are you doing?" he asked finally as he looked down at Naruto, seeing his lover was already starting to doze off. The cute glare Naruto gave him for being brought back to consciousness was one that made Kiba smile as he brushed a few stray locks away from his lover's face.

"If my grandmother has anything to say about it, I've got a good sixty to seventy years left," Naruto replied before yawning. "Of course, I've heard that Inuzuka live an insanely long time, so I guess I might get another century out of your _present _if I ever get the chance to sleep."

"Inuzuka?" Kiba looked down at Naruto with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not an Inuzuka anymore. I…" The hand that was gingerly touching Naruto moved up to his throat where there was a weight missing. He didn't feel any regret for his actions, but the loneliness was painful.

"Actually, your family is refusing to let you leave them. Well, technically, it was the dogs that rebelled first. Apparently Akamaru and Haiiro refused to let the heir and his mate live without a clan," Naruto mumbled as he nuzzled against Kiba's chest. "Not to mention your father is already hounding Tsunade for any other possible ways of continuing the line."

"… mate…?" Kiba ignored the part about his father. Any thought of the man at the moment left a sour taste in his mouth as he recalled how he had treated Naruto. Perhaps, given time, he and his father would come to an understanding, but Kiba doubted if their relationship would ever be the same again.

"It's not a traditional marriage by any means, but in the past week, I somehow got saddled with insane in-laws," Naruto replied, doing his best not to smile when he saw the dumbfounded look on Kiba's face. "Your mother is really nice… kind of crazy when it came to arguing with me over where we will live, though…"

"Mate…" Kiba repeated again, understanding slowly dawning on him as he looked down at his lover, and seeing the blush covering the boy's cheeks. "You're my mate." As soon as the words left his mouth, Kiba chuckled, finding that he quite liked that statement.

"And I am a tired mate at the moment, having stayed up countless hours waiting for you to wake the hell up…" Naruto snapped back, but his voice held no anger. Perhaps it was because he was fighting to hold back a yawn that still somehow snuck out between words.

Smirking deviously, Kiba shifted onto his side, pinning Naruto to the bed effortlessly. Bowing his head, he captured Naruto's lips in a passionate kiss that he refused to end until that annoyed glare disappeared, replaced by a lust-clouded gaze that warmed his entire body and, without question, woke Naruto back up.

"But I haven't shown you what it means to be the mate of an Inuzuka," Kiba growled quietly before he showed his smaller lover exactly why there were so many lewd rumors about the Inuzuka clan. Of course, in his case, they weren't rumors, but just one of the ways to show his mate – his partner, his best friend, and his companion – his feelings for him. He may have started to fall in love with Naruto three years ago when he finally saw the blonde for who he truly was, but he now had the rest of their lives to show Naruto all the different ways he completely, unquestioningly, and unreservedly loved him.

~Owari~

Authoress: //cries// I can't believe it…it's finally over! //sobs hysterically// //whimpers// This story has been running for over three years…it seems amazing looking back on it all now – it seems like it was such a short while ago that I got this brilliant idea having read a Japanese myth concerning kitsune and dogs…so, I hope everyone enjoyed the story as well as the happy ending that nearly everyone wanted!! I'd also like to give a huge thanks to B.Z.-chan for betaing this chapter for me!! And everyone, please stick around for the epilogue! I promise there will be a few nosebleeds!! So, until then, ja ne!!

B.Z.: Awww....that was sweet. Good job, and I look forward to the epilogue. **grins lecherously**


	19. Epilogue

Authoress: YOSH! I'm back with the (perhaps) final part of Revealing a Kitsune! This chapter is dedicated to all of my readers who have kept reading this story through the years and thank all of you for your support, reviews, and sheer perseverance! Now, extra cookies for anyone who can remember where the beginning of this chapter came from! //smiles deviously//

Disclaimer: Come on, now…if only I owned Naruto…

--

Sighing in delight, he tipped his head backwards as he propped himself up on his elbows. Though he had only been outside no more than an hour, his tanned skin was already deliciously warmed by the sunlight. It was surprising for it to be so temperate this late in the year, but he wasn't going to complain. There was little else he found more enjoyable than mornings like this. It was only during times like these when he could smell the barest hints of dew on the blades of grass below him and the distinct tang of greenery that surrounded him on all sides. It was the sound of Akamaru running in the distance, the dog's massive paws thundering across the ground as he chased his prey. It was the warm breeze that caressed his bare skin. But, most of all, it was the presence and scent of one particular being that made him smirk as he fought to keep his eyes shut, feigning sleep as long as he could.

Forcing his breathing to remain steady and his heartbeat to slow just a fraction, he inhaled deeply, tasting the very air that was laced with the unique aroma of the person hovering over him. He didn't have to look, nor think at all, as he quickly shifted before the newcomer realized he was awake. In less than the blink of an eye, he pulled the person to the ground, flipping the smaller figure beneath him. Instinctively pinning narrow wrists beneath his own powerful grip, he finally opened his eyes.

"Get off, baka."

Smirking down at the person who could emit such a deep voice that the hairs on the back of his neck stood in a mixture of arousal, and something that he couldn't begin to name, he found himself instantly captivated by a pair of impossibly blue eyes that held none of the seriousness that his voice had been filled with.

Those azure eyes rolled as their owner let out a sigh before allowing himself a moment of immaturity and puffing his marked cheeks outwards. Laughing, he did just as he was commanded, but not before pressing a gentle kiss to the other man's forehead. Slipping off the smaller man, he laid down on his side, keeping one arm wrapped around the firm abdomen he had, only moments before, been sitting on. Despite his gentle restraint, the smaller man still sat up slowly. Those beautiful blue eyes glared down at him and he could only chuckle at the pitiful attempt at anger. He could tell when the younger man was truly angry and now was far from such a time.

"Good morning to you too," he stated as he followed the other man's actions and sat up. Brushing a finger through his mussed hair, he pulled out a few twigs and leaves in his attempt to tame the eternally messy locks. His actions brought a small smile to the other man's lips as his angry features quickly melted into ones of amusement. Seeing that hint of a smile, he felt a warmth run through his chest and, unable to help himself, he leaned forwards and pressed his lips against the younger man's.

No matter how many times he kissed the handsome man before him, each time was like his first. Hesitant at first, he gingerly brushed his tongue along the man's plump lower lip, begging for entrance though they both knew he would immediately be granted it.

Happily swallowing the moan that erupted from the smaller man, he couldn't stop himself from shifting so that he could wrap his arms around the handsome blonde's waist, pulling his smaller frame into his lap where he could properly kiss the younger man senseless. A part of him couldn't help but be amazed at how long it had been since they had first met – when they had fallen in love – when every moment with the blonde was a new discovery for him.

Growing lost in the blonde's gentle arms, he groaned softly before crushing their lips together, his tongue tracing the achingly familiar cavern of his lover's mouth. Though all intelligent thought had left him as soon as he inhaled the scent of the younger man, a part of him was still sane enough to be amazed at how forward his usually shy companion was being.

Trying his luck, he shifted again as he pushed the blonde to the ground and pinned him with ease. Sucking teasingly on the handsome man's lower lip, he ignored the muffled complaint that came out of his lover. He wasn't certain, but it sounded like his beautiful partner had some kind of meeting he had to be at. Ignoring the soft protest, he instead trailed his hand down his lover's body, unnecessarily mapping out every inch of him. He already knew by heart every dip and curve, every defined muscle, and every scar on that beautiful body. Finally coming to the junction between long, powerful legs, he cupped his lover's growing arousal.

Unable to help himself, he let his fingers trail up and down the length of his lover's hardening member, mercilessly teasing his sensitive tip through layers of material, as he broke their kiss in order to nip the man's tanned neck that was begging for his amorous attention.

Almost as soon as his lips left his beautiful lover's, the younger man panted out a comment that made him smirk. "I have a meeting, Kiba… I can't be late! I can't get grass stains on my robes."

Kiba had to smirk at the blonde's half-hearted attempt at getting out of their interlude. Shyness was never a quality of an Inuzuka, especially when it came to lovemaking, but somehow Naruto pulled it off despite being one of the patriarchs of the clan. Few people outside the family knew that the powerful, and once quite loud and obnoxious man could be timid, but the fact remained that the blonde refused to do anything he considered to be fodder for one of his grandfather's smutty novels.

"What if someone _sees_?!" Naruto whined, still gasping for breath in the delicious way only he could do. Smirking, Kiba happily ignored him and instead went to work pulling his lover's thick robe away from his shoulders, slipping the man's muscular arms out of the expensive material while simultaneously kissing the newly exposed skin. Finally releasing Naruto's arms from the robe, Kiba began kissing his chest. Knowing that there was only so much his sensitive lover could take, he took one of the erect nubs between his sharp teeth and rolled it gently until Naruto let out a sound that made his lower body respond immediately.

Ignoring his hardening member, Kiba began to taste every inch of his magnificent lover, trailing his tongue along hardened muscles that quivered beneath his ministrations. Finally reaching the dip of the blonde's navel, Kiba glanced up and found himself looking into a face that, a few years ago, had made him come without any other stimulation. Now knowing better control of himself, he still felt his member weep as he looked into blue eyes filled with desire. Swollen lips parted slightly in order for their owner to gasp, and a delicious blush graced those scarred cheeks. Though Naruto, with a great deal of blushing and stammering, denied it time and again, Kiba lovingly called his mate his walking wet dream.

Smirking, he heard Naruto give a soft whimper that told him his lover was no longer worried about being caught by someone. For a moment, Kiba glanced down as he ran his fingers along the smooth flesh beneath him. Naruto was, by far, the most desirable person in Konoha, but Naruto refused to believe it. For some reason, the blonde was blind to the fact he was the most wanted man to exist. He had his father's famed looks and spirit, his mother's intelligence, his grandfather's charisma, his grandmother's compassion, his guardian's patience and his godfather's loyalty. Somehow, he had inherited their best qualities and made them into his own. He was perfection and right now wasn't the first time Kiba wondered what he could have possibly done to deserve such a wonderful person.

Their story wasn't a secret. No, since their near-death experience so long ago, their tale became something of legend. Glancing down at his lover's chest, Kiba couldn't help but brush his fingers against the jagged scar that trailed down the younger man's torso. It was a mark that Naruto had hid out of embarrassment for some time, but was one that he had grown to accept and proudly display when they were alone or with family and friends. The mark, just like the blonde himself, was something that reminded Kiba how powerful love could truly be. Not once, in all of their years together, had he ever regretted any of his actions that fateful day. Every moment they spent together, Kiba was reminded how close he had been to losing the man he loved because he had been a coward. Resting his hand over his lover's breastbone, Kiba smiled as he felt the strong heartbeat.

When he was younger, he never thought he would be so happy to hear such a seemingly normal thing, but he now lulled himself to sleep every night as he rested his head on that muscular chest, listening to the powerful beats that told him Naruto would never again have to worry about his heart failing him. Not once, in all the time since that chancy transplant, did Naruto have a single problem and, for that, Kiba was infinitely glad. He never wanted to know that kind of loss again, because he knew that, if it ever came to that again, he would follow Naruto to death. There was no way he could keep on living without the blonde, not hearing his soft laughter or his grumbling, not seeing his bright blue eyes or his few smiles. It was a fate far worse than death for Kiba.

"I love you, Naruto," Kiba said quietly as he brushed his thumb along his lover's marked cheek. As Naruto pressed his darkened skin against the brunet's touch, he smiled. It wasn't often the shy blonde returned those precious, simple words, but they were ones Kiba repeated again and again, though they never lost their meaning over the years. He had once made the mistake of not telling Naruto and, because of that, nearly lost the love of his life. He would never take the chance of Naruto wondering about his feelings again.

Kiba had to take a deep breath as he studied the soft smile on his lover's lips. They had learned over time that words weren't needed, so long as they were sure of one another's feelings, but Kiba still outright told his lover how much he meant to him. He never held it against Naruto for being shy about his own emotions, not after the life Naruto had been forced to live for so long. He would wait an eternity until the blonde felt comfortable enough to scream his love from the top of the Hokage Monument. Gingerly touching his lips to the blonde's cheek, Kiba felt a wave of protectiveness overtake him.

Time and again, he tried to imagine what it was like to grow up without the love and security of a family. Oh, Iruka had done wonders in protecting Naruto, but there was only so much the kindhearted teacher could do to save the blonde from himself and the hatred of the ignorant villagers. Naruto had hidden himself behind that façade of happiness for so long, some people still found it strange when he didn't erupt in one of his excited bouts of screaming nowadays. No, now he could be considered almost soft-spoken. He wasn't timid – at least not in the same sense as Hinata – but he was someone of few words unless he was around people he was very comfortable with - namely, Kiba and their family and closest friends.

Few people outside their close-knit group truly knew Naruto as anything other than the powerful shinobi he truly was. Everyone knew of his and Kiba's love for one another and Naruto's unique lineage, but hardly anyone knew that Naruto loved sleeping in or that he was a sucker for cuddling. Kiba doubted that there were less than a handful of people who knew that Naruto's laughter – a real laugh and not one of his faked ones – was addictive. Even fewer could know for certain that Naruto watched him sleep whenever the blonde was awake and he wasn't, or that the man surprised him constantly with his love and thoughtfulness. Kiba suspected he was the only person to have ever heard Naruto hum a lullaby, or get his cheek kissed by the blonde when he least expected it.

"You didn't answer my question, Dog Breath," Naruto seductively whispered into Kiba's ear, sending a shiver down the brunet's back. The blonde generally saved their pet names for when he wanted to mock Kiba for something or other, but lately, he had started to use them when he was trying to be a little bolder in the bedroom. The combination of that name and the tone of Naruto's voice was one that aroused more than just Kiba's curiosity.

Naruto further surprised him as he pressed their hips together. It would have been impossible not to notice the hardness that pressed into his leg. Thinking back on what Naruto had asked, Kiba let out a bark of laughter when he remembered. _What if someone sees?_

As his fingers searched out the hardness between his beautiful lover's legs, Kiba answered without a second thought, "If anyone sees us, they will say 'that is one very, very satisfied Hokage.'" Kiba heard the gasp of breath coming out of Naruto as he finished untying the thick robes that revealed the blonde's station, and couldn't help but smirk deviously. He was sure there would be hell to pay later when Naruto was thinking clearly again, but at the moment, his lover was writhing seductively beneath him, his whimpers muffled only by biting his lower lip.

Leaning backwards, Kiba shifted enough that he was kneeling between Naruto's tanned thighs. Grazing his lips along the Hokage's taut belly, he chuckled as Naruto bucked against him, shamelessly begging for his attention somewhere else. Bowing his head, Kiba gave no warning before taking his lover's weeping erection into his mouth.

As his mouth slid down the rigid shaft, Kiba heard a sound come out of his usually quiet lover that made him groan, which only served to stimulate Naruto further. Hands that had a mind of their own trailed across the muscular planes of Naruto's chest and abdomen, as Kiba tightened his lips around his lover's member, his tongue running along the underside of it. He felt Naruto's fingers weave into his hair, guiding his head as the blonde's lean hips began matching his seductively slow pace.

Naruto whimpered as Kiba let his sharpened canines graze teasingly along his sensitive flesh. The strong fingers gripping his hair tightened, but Kiba didn't mind the pull on his scalp at the moment. It was the first time Naruto had ever let him do _anything_ outdoors in the daylight. He wasn't about to protest his lover showing his enjoyment of such treatment.

Adding suction to his actions, Kiba was rewarded with a muffled cry that made warmth pool in his lower body until it was bordering on pain. Doing his best to ignore his own need, Kiba began to speed up, his head bobbing in a natural rhythm that caused his beautiful mate to drop his head back, his mouth opening as he gasped.

"K-Kiba!" Naruto's exclamation, no more than a pant, was one that nearly sent the brunet over the edge. Added to the pulling of his hair and the blonde's thrusts, Kiba felt his self-control begin to crumble. He had never before wanted his lover more than right now, and the realization of that was a heady one.

Taking all of his lover's erection in his mouth, a part of him sure he would embarrass himself and choke at any moment, Kiba slid one hand down between his lover's spread legs and teasingly began to rub one finger against Naruto's entrance. In response, the blonde lifted his hips, thrusting his member even deeper into Kiba's mouth than the brunet thought possible. Unable to bite back the growl that rumbled in his throat, Kiba glanced up at his lover who had nearly choked him, but any and all hard feelings melted when he saw Naruto's face.

It should be a crime to look so delectable, Kiba immediately decided as he continued to watch his lover as he returned to his ministrations. Raising his head up slowly, he simultaneously began to slip one finger into his lover. Already propped up on an elbow, his head tilted so that he could watch, Naruto nearly fell backwards when Kiba's probing finger deliberately pressed against that sensitive spot, sending blinding streaks of pleasure throughout him.

Kiba smirked when he saw Naruto throw his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing deliciously as the blonde swallowed heavily to keep himself from screaming. It only took another moment for Naruto to look back down at him, their gazes meeting. Kiba quickly lost himself in those lust-clouded eyes as he sped up his rhythm just so that he could hear another strangled sound come out of his mate.

"Kiba!" This time, Naruto's cry was loud enough for Kiba to be certain anyone nearby would have heard him. Glad that Akamaru and anyone else who would have heard his timid partner had moved out of hearing distance some time ago, Kiba continued meeting his lover's thrusts until he felt a change in Naruto's entire body.

The blonde's muscular frame tightened underneath Kiba's fingers, every fiber of him quivering. Even with his inhuman hearing, Kiba couldn't discern what exactly Naruto was muttering – or if it was even words at all – but he had the feeling that not even Naruto himself was sure of what was coming out of his mouth at this point.

Hearing his lover's soft mutters turn into outright cries, Kiba mercilessly thrust his finger against his prostate while groaning around Naruto's member. It was that rumbling of his throat that sent the blonde over the edge, and Kiba had no other warning than the tightening of fingers in his hair and the airy scream that echoed in his pounding ears. Tasting the warm, salty liquid spurt into his mouth, Kiba continued to groan as he continued moving his lips up and down his lover's throbbing member, until the blonde fell backwards, his fingers slipping from Kiba's abused scalp.

"S-shit…" Naruto whimpered as Kiba finally released his spent member with a satisfying _pop_. Sitting back on his heels, the brunet studied his lover, the taste of the younger man's seed still on his tongue. That salty, slightly bitter tang sent a shiver down Kiba's back as his own arousal began throbbing in need.

"Whatever happened to 'not outdoors'?" Kiba asked breathlessly as he quoted one of Naruto's many requests when it came to their sex life. The very fact Naruto hadn't slapped him the moment he had started touching the shy Hokage boggled the mind, but now looking down at his nude lover's trembling body, he was dumbstruck. A surge of blinding desire ran through him as his eyes caught the sheen of sweat on perfectly tanned skin and the rapid rise and fall of the shinobi's scarred chest.

"You're the one who started it…" Naruto retorted, but there was no bite to his grumble. The blonde only had to lie backwards so that he was no longer leaning on his one quivering arm for Kiba to chuckle. Before him was certainly one satisfied Hokage. "Shut up, you horny bastard."

"Horny doesn't even begin to describe what I am right now," Kiba replied with a smirk, ignoring the fact his words were almost indiscernible because, at that moment, his entire body, including his tongue, went numb when he saw the bright crimson cover his mate's marked cheeks. Shifting so that he could loom over his obviously exhausted lover, Kiba took a moment to brush his lips against Naruto's.

"I'm not stopping you," Naruto stated before returning the kiss with renewed desire. Kiba nearly squeaked when he realized what his painfully timid lover had all but demanded. It had to be a dream – and what a wonderful, delicious, and orgasmic dream it was! Not one to second-guess his good luck, Kiba pressed his weight down on his smaller lover, his stiff member pressing against Naruto's hardening one.

Littering his lover's neck in licks and nips, Kiba was unable to control himself as his lower body positioned itself at Naruto's entrance on its own accord. Without a single thought, he pushed into the blonde, eliciting a gasp of pleasure from the Hokage that matched his own cry in loudness.

"K-Kiba!" Naruto cried out, shifting his hips to better accommodate his mate, as his legs wrapped around the brunet's midsection. When he was fully sheathed inside his lover, Kiba let out a growl of possessiveness. A shot of animalistic lust raced through him as he took a moment to look down at the gasping blonde, whose fingers were climbing up his chest, leaving a searing sensation in their wake.

Pulling out almost completely, Kiba slammed back into Naruto and was rewarded with another gasp from his lover. Repeating his motions, painfully slowly for the aroused brunet, Kiba waited until he could feel a hardness jutting against his abdomen before speeding up. Despite his exhaustion only moments earlier, Naruto was able to keep up with his thrusts, despite the trembling of his own body as his own erection – still overly sensitive from before – was toyed with by one of his lover's hands. Kiba's other hand slipped under Naruto's hips, pulling the blonde's lower body into the air with ease.

Hooking his legs over Kiba's tightly corded shoulders, Naruto shifted the angle of his hips a fraction. The blonde gasped as his new position allowed his lover to fill him more completely than ever before. From the gasp that came from Kiba, the brunet was just as delightfully surprised as he was.

"Naruto…" In all their years together, Kiba had never once had such a blinding wave of pleasure hit him, as the one that now left him unable to think clearly beyond knowing that he was reaching his limits. Tightening his grip around his lover's erection, it took no more than a few strokes, matching his thrusts, to make Naruto come for a second time. As the warm fluid coated his abdomen and hand, Kiba shivered, feeling his own release washing over him in a mind-blowing avalanche of sensations, that left him trembling long after he came inside his beautiful mate.

For several moments, Kiba found himself soaring, no longer aware of his body or his surroundings. When he finally started to come back down from his high, he could feel the rapid heartbeat beneath his own and a warm body cushioning him from the hard ground. Powerful, but impossibly gentle arms were wrapped around him and fingers were delicately tracing circles in his back.

"Horny bastard," Naruto repeated with a chuckle, tightening his arms around his rousing lover. Kiba could only join in, laughing at his own quick release. Any other time, he would have been able to last for quite some time, but the sight of his lover – the taste of him – mixed in with the scents of the forest that now teased his nostrils, was just too much for the brunet.

"Oi, I'm not the one that was begging," Kiba mumbled groggily against his lover's sweat-coated chest, unable to muster the strength to look up into the blue eyes he knew were looking down at him.

"Next time you decide to sunbathe in the nude, please warn me," Naruto replied as he trailed his fingers down his lover's bare back, tracing the dips and ridges of his spine. He could only smirk when he felt Kiba shiver under his ministrations.

"It's nothing you haven't seen before," Kiba pointed out as he finally worked up the ability to slide most of his weight off of his lover, but he still kept one arm thrown possessively across the Hokage's chest and his legs intertwined with his mate's.

"And what if someone just happened to walk by? Anyone could have seen you!" Naruto hissed, but Kiba knew there was no real anger in him over finding the brunet lounging out in the grass with not a single stitch of clothing covering him. "Not to mention the fact your parents are coming over this afternoon for a visit… along with my family! I am not going to be the one to explain to my grandfather why my husband is laying out here with nothing on."

"You worry too much," Kiba replied before brushing his lips against the crease that had formed between his mate's pale eyebrows. Naruto glared at him for a moment, but finally gave up his annoyance with a sigh. "Anyways, I'm not the one who got questionable stains all over my robes when I have a meeting with Gaara in a little bit…"

"So you did know about the meeting!" Naruto stated accusingly, trying to glare at his lover, but the feigned innocence on Kiba's face made him give up with a sigh. Sometimes the man was just too cute for his own good. With a squeak, Naruto recalled what Kiba said about his Hokage robes. "_Stains?!_"

Kiba could only cackle as he rolled over to evade his husband's swatting. Moving to stand and hoping his legs were finally strong enough to hold his weight, Kiba snickered when he saw Naruto look down at the crumpled robes they had used as a makeshift bed. At that moment, the Hokage's flushed cheeks – proof of earlier events – turned an impressive crimson that Kiba never thought was possible for his tanned husband.

"Gaara will never let me live this down!!!" Naruto screeched as he pulled his robes back on, doing his best to hide the obvious stains on the material. Kiba could only chuckle; it wouldn't be the first time the Kazekage found out more than he wanted to know about their sex life. How many times had Gaara had the misfortune of walking in on them? Then again, with their heightened senses, Kiba and Naruto knew exactly what the redhead and his pale-eyed lover were up to.

Kiba snorted as Naruto began brushing his fingers through his hair, the long golden locks somehow returning to something close to normal within a few moments. The brunet didn't even want to know how bad his own hair looked. "So what is the meeting for?" Kiba asked curiously as he inched over to the edge of the clearing. Grabbing the pair of pants he had flung there earlier in the morning when he decided to lay outside in all his nude glory, he quickly put them back on before anyone did have the misfortune to walk by.

Naruto glared at him a moment, but could only sigh when Kiba returned to him, shirtless but at least having something modestly covering him. "Nothing with the villages… we were planning Kankuro and Hinata's anniversary party," he replied as he rolled his eyes; his husband knew full well what he and Gaara had been sneaking around for the past few weeks for. With three days left, the wedding anniversary was approaching quickly, but the two Kages were certain that they would pull everything together by then.

Kiba whistled as he came to stand in front of his husband. "Ten years, ne?" With that, he licked his lover's nose teasingly and quickly dodged the slap Naruto aimed at him. Hopping backwards, he smirked as he feigned surprise. "Our anniversary is coming up to, isn't it? I almost forgot." In all actuality, Kiba couldn't forget that they had been married for ten years, but he couldn't pass up an opportunity to rile up his husband.

"I'll sic Hinata and Haiiro on you," Naruto grumbled with narrowed eyes. Kiba could only laugh at the blonde's threat. His laughter subsided when his impeccable hearing picked up the sound of approaching figures. He didn't have to turn know who the four people entering the clearing were. Their scents were ones he knew as well as his own.

"Threatening Kiba this early in the morning? You should be ashamed of yourself, gaki." Kiba turned and smiled brightly at the beautiful woman who walked up to them, a dark-haired child curled up in her arms. The child was in every way her complete opposite – pudgy where she was impossibly slender, his features dark where hers were the palest imaginable.

Without another word, she gently placed the chubby toddler into Kiba's open arms, ruffling his hair before stepping back and studying the tall jounin and the babe sleeping contently in his arms. It was amazing to see such a powerful shinobi delicately holding such a tiny child, incapable of ever harming the baby.

"Arf arf!" _Haiiro-sama just fell asleep._ Akamaru's mothering hen complex was something everyone was surprised by, but very thankful for. The massive canine that now plopped down before Kiba, was the perfect nanny for the boy in Kiba's arms, as well as his sister who now slid down from the dog's back.

"So what have the four of you been up to?" Kiba couldn't help but ask as he knelt before the little girl now looking up at him with her unusual eyes. Her round face broke out into a broad grin that showed off her pointed teeth and distorted her facial tattoos ever so slightly. "What did my little Hinata-chan do this morning?"

"We chase Aki-Aki," the child stated proudly with her impossibly cute lisp. Akamaru only rolled his soft brown eyes at her nickname for him, but the dog never once tried to get her to call him by his actual name. Kiba glanced over at his dog, knowing that the leader of the Inuzuka canines was actually pleased with his pet name from the heiress.

"It seems that Haiiro-sama and Hinata-sama have already mastered manipulating stupid dogs," the beautiful woman stated smugly, receiving a half-hearted growl from Akamaru. Kiba could only chuckle – those two had had a rivalry for nearly ten years, for reasons no one else understood.

"Stop baiting him, Kyuubi," Naruto commented before he bent down and scooped the little brunette into his arms, swinging her around a few times before settling her against his chest.

"Daddy, we pin Jii-Jii too!" The toddler squealed, uncaring that her brother was sleeping mere inches away from her. Naruto raised his eyebrow, wondering how the little girl and her equally small twin had pinned Kakashi. Then again, the once hard-hearted jounin did melt when with his beloved niece and nephew. Just last week, Iruka had captured pictures of Kakashi playing "horsey" with the twins. Naruto now kept multiple copies of those for whenever he had the need to blackmail his godfather. That thought made him chuckle, remembering the first time Sasuke had been conned into babysitting his two little cousins. The twins had only once heard their father call him 'Teme' and, from that day on, that had been his nickname, much to the stoic man's chagrin. Though he tried to be annoyed, even Sasuke was unable to stay mad at the twins for mocking him constantly. They, much like their brunet father, were just too cute for their own good at times.

"You did!" Naruto exclaimed, surprise and pride in his voice as he squeezed the little girl to his chest. "What about Ruru?" He inwardly sniggered, infinitely happy that the twins had picked up on Kakashi's nickname for the academy teacher. It was priceless to see Iruka's face fall the first time the twins called him it. He had all but kicked Kakashi out of their home for a week, going on about corrupting the minds of the youth. Iruka really did despise that nickname.

"He sleepy!" Hinata pouted, her pale eyes telling Kiba and Naruto that she and her brother had done their very best to wake up the exhausted academy teacher. Of course, both men had the feeling that it was her and her brother's fault that Iruka was tired. It seemed like the teacher never got to rest whenever his niece and nephew came for a sleepover. Kakashi, on the other hand, slept like a log and only roused when Iruka had the twins go bounce on his stomach to wake him up.

Kiba had to smile as he glanced at the twins. The two children were, by far, one of the greatest parts of his life, equal only to Naruto. Even now, nearly three years after their birth, Kiba still couldn't thank his best friend – his sister in all but blood – for giving him this gift. The only things that revealed their maternal bloodline were their lavender eyes. Their olive-toned skin, their dark hair – even the red marks down their cheeks – everything else about them proved their Inuzuka lineage. The twins were, in nearly every way, his and Naruto's children.

Glancing down at his beloved son, Kiba smiled sadly as he recalled the boy's namesake. It had been nearly eight years since the head of the Inuzuka canines had passed, leaving Akamaru to take over. As soon as he first held the small babe, Kiba knew that it was the only name he could give the fragile baby, in memory of his beloved friend and family member for helping him. In those first few months after he essentially came back to life, it was Haiiro who helped him and his father to work out their differences. It was because of that canine that he and his aging father were now able to smile at each other and, on the rare occasion, laugh together as they watched the new generation of the Inuzuka clan play.

Similarly, his daughter had been given the name of the woman who Kiba owed so much to. When Hinata and Kankuro were told the horrible news – that it would be almost impossible for the Puppet Master to father children – they resigned themselves to a childless marriage. It had nearly destroyed Hinata for a while, until she told Kiba that she would give him the ultimate gift – a child to continue his line.

Instead of becoming parents themselves, Hinata and Kankuro sat back selflessly and watched as Naruto and Kiba fumbled with parenthood. No number of books and advice-filled conversations prepared them for the sleepless nights and stress-filled days, but every moment was worth it. Kiba looked down at his son, knowing he wouldn't have changed anything.

Pressing his lips against his son's hairline, Kiba decided he would have to visit Hinata later and thank her again for being a saint. Ever since she had found out that miracles could truly happen – that she and Kankuro had conceived a child all their own despite the bleak diagnosis – the couple had permanently moved to Konoha. Their first son was born only a few weeks ago, but already was proving to be just like his shy uncle for whom he was named for. Already, the red-haired baby had mastered his uncle's coldest glare. Of course, little Gaara's expressions lost their effectiveness as soon as he broke out into peals of laughter when someone swept him up into their arms and tickled the boy.

Most people assumed that the baby was named after his uncle because of his shockingly bright red hair, pale green eyes, and everything else that made him into a miniature of the Kazekage, but Kiba was one of the few who knew he was named thus because it was Gaara who ended up delivering his nephew when he and Hinata were walking back together from a relaxing day at the Hidden Village of Waterfall. Perhaps the most surprising part was that Gaara had, mere moments after his little nephew let out his first wail, decided he was squeamish and promptly passed out cold. It was a secret Hinata had only let leak to Kiba and Kankuro, but it had somehow gotten back to Neji, who now mocked his husband to no end.

"So how is little Gaara? Probably already his uncles' favorite, ne?" Naruto asked, pulling his husband from his thoughts as he smirked at the Kyuubi and Akamaru. It was no secret that Gaara and Neji had no urge for children of their own, pointing out that both of their lines would continue through their siblings and cousins' children, but that didn't stop them from already beginning their plots to spoil their newly born nephew.

"Even Shukaku is a sucker for the little brat," the Kyuubi replied with a chuckle at her fellow demon's downfall under the adorable baby who loved to tug on his uncle's matching hair. No one had to point out that she had a large soft spot for her own kit's offspring, her beloved grandchildren, if one wanted to be technical. Though not related by blood, those two babies now in their fathers' arms were as much Naruto's as anyone could ever hope them to be. Their personalities were so much like his own, it was hard to believe he didn't donate anything genetically. In them, she could see the baby Naruto would have been, had it not been for his unique circumstances. He would have been the bouncy, ever-laughing child that his own children were.

Leaning back on her feet, the demon looked at the two men through her permanently mortal eyes. Ever since Kiba had awoken nearly ten years ago, she decided to permanently bind her chakra to the pair of young men, which left her in her current form. No one could mistake her for a human, but at the same time, she was allowed to move around the village without striking fear into every heart. People now saw her as a respected figure that had aided in saving their beloved Hokage – and it was because of the efforts of that blonde and his lover that she now smiled when she looked at their unconventional family. They taught her the full spectrum of human emotions, but mostly, they showed her what she had never known in her demonic life before being contained in Naruto. They taught her what it meant to love and be loved in return. Those two men, who now looked at each other as though no one else could see them, were the two most courageous beings she had ever met, but they weren't simply strong because of their abilities or their energy. No, it was far more than that.

The two men, the famed patriarchs of the Inuzuka clan, weren't simply each other's best friend, but each other's lover, partner, and other half. To anyone with an ounce of sense, it was obvious that they were made for each other. Even now, ten years after their near-death experience, their love for one another was so strong, no one could ever doubt what they felt for one another. It was in that bond that she could see their strength.

--

Kiba silently spun around when he heard the floorboards behind him creak, threatening to wake up the two toddlers now curled up in their cribs. Letting out a sigh of relief when Naruto stepped into the room, he knew that the twins wouldn't wake up. If anything, his husband's presence put them into a deeper sleep. It was one of Naruto's unique abilities that had saved them from insanity on many occasions in the past. Gesturing for Naruto to move outside the room, Kiba followed him and, with all the caution an elite jounin such as he could muster, he closed the door.

"They're finally asleep?" Naruto asked, though he already knew the answer. It was more of a sigh of relief than anything else, but Kiba still nodded his head slowly as they continued down the hallway to their own bedroom.

"They were exhausted. I love when they visit Kakashi and Iruka," Kiba replied happily as he pulled his mate into his arms. "They might even sleep until a sane hour tomorrow morning." Both men reveled in such a wonderful thought. Neither shinobi was sure where the twins got it from, but the two toddlers were up before sunrise every day and, if their fathers dared to sleep in after six, they were in their room, bouncing on them until they were fully awake. Lately, Kiba and Naruto had finally given up on trying to lock their door, since even that wasn't enough to keep their children out. Apparently Kakashi was already teaching them many advanced shinobi skills, which included picking locks and torturing their tired parents.

Naruto could only shake his head when he looked up at the brunet and saw the lustful glint in his eyes. Slapping away Kiba's grabbing hands for a moment, he finally leaned into his husband's embrace and pressed a kiss against the taller man's neck. "I can't believe it… nearly ten years…"

"You say it like we're already getting old," Kiba replied with a snort. Since this morning, he too had been thinking about their past ten years together, but he didn't think of it as a long time. To him, everything passed in the blink of an eye. "We aren't even thirty yet…"

"That's not what I mean, baka," Naruto said as he rolled his eyes. "Ten years together is really long… the only people who have been together longer than us are Iruka, Kakashi, Gaara, Neji, Hinata, and Kankuro." Naruto put up his fingers as he listed the names, and then he looked up into his husband's amused face.

"Well, technically, your grandparents have been together on and off for far longer than they care to admit…" Kiba pointed out with a smirk as he let his hands trail down his lover's back. "Anyways, we just happen to have admitted our feelings for each other earlier than our friends. If I wasn't such an idiot, I would have told you back when we were in the academy together. We would have definitely been together the longest then!"

"You aren't an idiot," Naruto replied reflexively before pressing a kiss between his husband's collar bones. "And that still isn't what I meant. I mean, within ten years, we have gotten married and had two beautiful children. You became an elite jounin seven years ago and I've been Hokage for four years. It just seems like so much has happened in such a short period of time."

"Ten years is over a third of your life," Kiba stated, smirking when Naruto smacked him gently for being purposely difficult. "I know what you mean," he added before gingerly kissing Naruto's head. At times, he was amazed at his own good fortune, but now that he thought about it, everything strangely seemed to have a ring of familiarity to it. "Hm…"

"What 'hm'?" Naruto questioned as he stepped back to look at the brunet with a raised eyebrow. Kiba was about to open his mouth to say 'nothing,' but caught a glimpse of his lover's expression and thought better of brushing off his surprised sound.

"I was just remembering something from… a long time ago," Kiba replied as he smiled down at his lover. "Tsunade had me read a letter from your father."

"I read it," Naruto whispered as he moved closer to his husband, burying his head against Kiba's strong chest in order to hide the wateriness of his eyes. It was a note his grandmother had given to him the day of his 'official' wedding to his beloved husband. She had given him a weepy smile when he had finished reading it, and all she could say was that she, and everyone else, had misinterpreted everything his parents had told them in their letters. Gingerly kissing his husband's breastbone, Naruto let out a shaky breath, glad that he had some kind of proof his parents – people he never truly knew, but still loved with every fiber of his being – approval of his life with Kiba. "What about it?" he asked, unsure he wanted to know why his husband had read that same letter.

"I was just wondering if everything would have happened the same way if your mother hadn't foreseen everything," Kiba said as he dropped his head to rest his chin on Naruto's head. "I'm glad she and your father approve of me, but it is kind of surprising that they knew about Haiiro and Hinata and that you would become Hokage…" he trailed off, closing his eyes. He could still remember what it had been like to tap into abilities similar to those of Naruto's mother. He had seen how unsure Naruto's future had once been, but his mother-in-law had been so certain of her son's future when all Kiba could have seen were blurry and fading possibilities. Now, on the off-chance he used the borrowed Uchiha abilities, he would see that Naruto was going to live a long and happy life and that, for the rest of his own days, he would be at his husband's side.

Smiling to himself, he knew better than to tell Naruto that he had the same ability as his mother. He had kept it hidden for ten years, not because of any selfish motive, but because it was a power no one should have and, in ten years, he had used the ability only a handful of times. Namely, on their wedding day, the day their children were born, and the day Naruto was named Hokage. The three greatest days of his life, he had been unable to help himself from peeking into the future and what he saw was enough to make him chuckle now.

"Did you ever wonder what your father meant by becoming a father yourself?" Kiba smirked, recalling one image that had resurfaced itself time and again, since he saw a glimpse of their happy life together. Even now, that pair of impossibly blue eyes still were as clear as though he had truly seen them before him. Of course, the slight animalistic shape of them, mixed with the deep red marks down rounded, unscarred cheeks, were enough to assure Kiba who exactly that little boy had been.

"I am a father," Naruto stated proudly, but saw a flicker of something in Kiba's eyes that made him wonder what his lover was getting at. As soon as it hit him, he took a step backwards and found his jaw dropping. "You mean for me to… but we have the twins already…"

Leaning forwards, Kiba pressed a gentle kiss against Naruto's furrowed forehead, but didn't know how to tell his blonde mate that the twins were only the first of a small army of brats he had seen. He never wanted a house filled with children until the first time he held his own and, having fallen in love with them, he knew that it was about time to repopulate the dwindling Inuzuka clan. It didn't matter to him or to any other member of his clan anymore who possessed their unique traits. They had accepted Naruto with open arms and now, despite his blonde hair and blue eyes, he was just as much an Inuzuka as Kiba. Running his finger along the marks that trailed down his husband's cheeks – tattoos that Naruto had been proud to receive nearly ten years ago – Kiba smiled. In return, Kiba too had marked himself as belonging to his lover. Anyone who had ever seen him shirtless knew of the large black mark that covered his left breast, and it brought a smile to the faces of those who knew of his and Naruto's relationship. It was obvious what that permanent spiral meant.

"What did you see exactly?" Naruto asked curiously, surprising Kiba enough for the taller man to take a stumbling step backwards. "Oh, don't try pretending you don't know what I mean. I've seen your Sharingan before and it didn't take much for me to figure out what you were seeing."

"You knew?" Kiba asked in amazement, momentarily staring at his lover. The pale eyebrow that rose in response made him chuckle. He should have known that the most powerful shinobi in the village – and the man who had stolen his heart – was someone who knew his every secret. "I'm sorry I didn't tell y-"

"Shh," Naruto said as he pinched his husband's lips between two fingers. "I understand… I'm just curious about what you saw. I don't want to know the entire future. I already know that." That final statement made Kiba furrow his own eyebrows, trying to figure out what his lover meant by it. Few people who had known Naruto as a problem child would have recognized him as the extremely intelligent, perceptive and compassionate man before Kiba now. Kiba had seen that amazing change come around and couldn't help but chuckle at his own stupidity in thinking Naruto would not have pieced things together a long time ago.

"I saw a little blue eyed boy… he _might_ just turn into one of the greatest shinobi Konoha has ever seen…" Kiba hinted, smirking at his husband as Naruto blinked several times before breaking out into a true smile that seemed to light up Kiba's entire world. Before dropping his head down to kiss those upturned lips, with all the passion he felt for his lover and best friend, he asked a question: "Now, what do you think our future holds?"

Needless to say, it was some time before Naruto got to answer that question. When he finally had the chance to tell his husband about his prediction, he foretold a long and happy life together, surrounded by family and friends. It was one that had the ring of a fairy tale, but one that Kiba knew for certain wasn't simply wishful thinking, but a true possibility. After all, their story might be one filled with mythology, but more importantly, it was the endless love between a dog and a fox that let them find their very own happily ever after.

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Authoress: Kuku…I had to end it on a cute note…I couldn't help myself!

B.Z.: ....Awe..... I cant believe it's OVER.... **cries** I remember when I first started reading this story... I was so pissed that it was taking so long to update, and now here I am, beta-ing it, and having just finished reading the LAST chapter! **sniffle** I'm looking forward to your next creation.

Authoress: //sniffles// I can't believe it's over either!! And, for the last time for this story, thank you B.Z.-chan for betaing this chapter!! You readers also have my unending gratitude for your wonderful reviews, e-mails, and everything that has kept this story alive for nearly four years!! Thank you all so much!


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